My Broken Veins Say
by ausllyxaustinally
Summary: Ally Dawson is looking for reckless and Austin Moon is the one person who can give her exactly that.
1. Chapter 1

The tires of Ally's car squeal to a stop on the cold gravel outside of a church. Ally reaches over and grabs the pamphlet that was sitting shotgun. _Saint Peter's Church of Healing_. Ally stares at the front page of the small booklet. The priest has a wide grin on his kind face, his eyes are a faded emerald and Ally is praying to a God that she's not even sure exists, begging that this works. She needs this. Literally.

She takes a deep breath and looks at herself in the rear view mirror. She had slept well last night for the first time in eight days. Her brown eyes were clouded with her shiny facade of _everything's alright. _She combs her un-manicured fingers through her wavy, high-volume brunette hair. She tosses the pamphlet onto the back seat's floor and then takes off her seatbelt and heads for the church.

Ally's not exactly the church type, but her entire life she seemed like it. She smiled lots, had a nice family, and the warmest heart. Maybe that's why it was quitting on her. She slips in the back as the priest is ranting about something and the congregation murmurs in agreement, fanning themselves with their own pamphlets or pieces of paper that they've scrawled out little notes onto. His voice grows louder, sounding like a drum, every time he puts emphasis on his point.

"...And that is why _you_ are saved by _grace_!" his lips stretch slowly into the warmest smile Ally's ever seen on a man. For some reason his eyes find Ally's face and he stares for a moment. Ally suddenly feels uncomfortable leaning against that cold back wall. He breaks the contact as he gazes around at his congregation and says the last of his sermon, dismissing everyone seated in the pews.

Many people see him after the sermon, visiting him for their moment of needed healing. He closes his eyes and places a palm on a woman's head. He rambles out a long, spiritual prayer, "In the name of Christ, you are healed!" he says loudly and then opens his eyes and looks down at the woman. She slowly opens her eyes and Ally's observant eyes watch her lips stretch wide.

"The headache's...They're gone!" she shouts with glee. Ally's eyes widen in size. She watches the next few of people who holler joyously about their sudden healing. Ally glances over at the stained glass window and sees the art of a sun standing above a man's head who Ally guesses is Jesus with a kind smile. Ally takes a deep breath and heads towards the priest who is gathering his things.

Ally's steps are slow and unsure as she makes her way. The priest was thumbing through his Bible, perhaps looking for something but he stopped when he felt the extra presence in the now empty church. He straightens out and looks at her.

"Hi." Ally says, forcing a smile on her lips and hoping it didn't look as fake as she felt. I mean, how much faker could you be only coming to a church, only wanting healing, only trying to believe, in the moment of your crisis?

"Hi," the priest replies.

"I...I liked your...your speech," Ally said and she was absolutely sure that's not what it's called but she didn't shame herself for something she's never been taught about. "Well, the bit I heard anyways."

The priest lets out a hearty chuckle, "Thank you." he says, his voice is nicer than she'd expected it to be. He looks fifty. Aren't people in their fifty's cranky and rude? He is suddenly joined by a woman who touches his arm lovingly. Ally notices the golden ring on his left hand and the golden one on the woman's hand. It's no lie that this must be his wife.

Ally frowns lightly, "You're married?" she questioned them. The woman smiled at Ally with both her oceanic orbs and her pale lips. The priest grinned over at his wife and then to Ally, nodding his head.

"For 38 years now." he said.

"But you're a priest...Aren't you supposed to...you know...stay single?" Ally questioned.

He chuckled lightly, "I can see that you've never quite been accompanied with a church's background." he said.

Ally felt embarrassed, her cheeks tinting pink but it was so light that both the priest and his wife missed it. "Sorry," she murmured. They didn't condemn her for not being a church-girl. Their faces remained kind as they looked at her.

The priest continued, "I have a feeling that you didn't come here to make small talk."

Ally gives him a wry smile, trying not to feel surprised by his intuition. She slowly shakes her head. "No...I didn't. I came here because-"

She was interrupted when the priest suddenly shushed her and grabbed her hand in his. She looked down at her hand that was now enveloped into his bigger, slightly wrinkly one. She slowly gazed up at him and tried not to feel awkward by the soft, gentle touch.

His eyes are softer than they were before. So soft that Ally wonders if maybe they will liquefy and come pooling down his cheeks. His gem eyes look deeply into Ally's chestnut-eyed gaze. Then he speaks, his voice softer than the hotel bed she'd slept on last night. "It's heart failure...Isn't it?"

Ally heard a compassionate whimper from the priest's wife as she placed a palm over her chest as if the gentle touch of her own heart was supposed to cure it's breaking. Her eyes are sincere and sad for Ally. Ally slowly looked back at the priest, appalled. She's not feeling awkward, she's not feeling sad, she's not feeling angry. She's surprised. "How did you know that?" her voice is barely above a whisper.

His eyes soften up a little more that Ally is definitely sure that these eyes are fake, but they're not as he keeps staring at her. His lips curling upwards into a smile that is full of every little bit of God's mercy. "Discernment. I had the notion when you walked in. Despite this front people look at, I can see that you carry something with you. A sadness, an intensity."

That didn't make up for how he knew that Ally was suffering from heart failure. She stared at him for a long moment before telling him, "I've always had something wrong with my heart since I was, maybe, eight? Something about my heart valves weakening, I don't know, but I've just entered the first stage."

"I'm so sorry to hear that." he said, his voice dropping lower and lower, nearing the sound of a whisper.

Ally swallowed. "I read about this place online. It said you specialize in healing, physically and emotionally. I thought maybe I'd see for myself." said Ally, "And you can do it, right? You can heal me?"

His soft smile became sad. "I would if I could...But I'm afraid that I don't mess with God's plan."

Ally felt the pang in her heart, the mental slap across the face. "...God's plan?" she echoed, before giving him an odd look, "You're telling me _God's plan _is for me to die? He planned this? You're not even going to try? His brilliant plan for me is to strangle me with His own hands?" her voice got more angry as she continued.

The priest and his wife looked heartbroken for her. "His ways are greater than ours." the priest replied gently.

Ally scoffed and then laughed out of bitterness. She shook her head as she looked at the priest and his wife. "You both...You're living a lie."

"You're just angry and confused-" tried the priest's wife.

"Thanks for the effort!" Ally said, not even sure why she'd come in the first place. She knew nothing would help her. They psychic wouldn't help, the doctors wouldn't help, the other pastor only gave a hopeless prayer, this priest won't help her, and God surely won't help her either. She's a lost cause. A hopeless case.

Ally spun on her heel and heard the faded sound of the priest's voice slip into her throbbing ear drums from behind her, "Look up Jeremiah 29:11 or Psalm 41:3. Try Psalm 30:3! Surely, it will help!"

Ally ignored the priest and marched away from the building. She jumped into her little red car and listened to the sound of her tires ripping against the gravel before she exited the small parking lot and began to excel over the speed limit. She was driving so fast it looked like the world was racing her and maybe it was. Maybe it was trying to laugh in her face as the lump in her throat was choking her and the unshed tears inside her eyes was trying to drown her.

She glances over to her cellular device that is sitting in the cup pocket next to her stick shift. She grabs it and looks at the screen. Four text messages and one voicemail. She sighs and places the phone next to her ear and plays the voicemail.

"_Ally? Ally, it's Trish. Please answer the phone. We're all worried about you. I know you're upset about it. I know. But please...call me." _

Ally exited her voicemail and tossed the phone back into the cup holder. She gripped the wheel tighter. "No," Ally's teeth were gritted, "You don't know."

Ally glanced at herself in the rear view mirror. The whites of her eyes looked slightly red as her eyes were glassy. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. She grumbled something under her breath, something like, "You're pathetic."

Maybe Ally was pathetic. That's what she kept telling herself and it's only now that she's begun to realize just how pathetic she really is. It was so pathetic to think that she could stop this. To think that she could save herself. Going to a church? What was she even thinking? God's not going to spare her. She's never stepped foot into a church until today, she's never listened to God's word or read about it, she hardly even knows about the religion.

Her phone rang again but Ally had no intention of answering it. Why should she? She knew what it was going to be about. _Oh, Ally, this is so sad! Oh, Ally, you're dying! Oh, Ally, come home! Oh, Ally! Oh, Ally! Oh, Ally!_

Ally is so angry that she is practically seeing red. She barely notices the fox that is running across the road. She slams hard on the breaks, her back slamming into the seat. She's breathing heavily as she watches it scurry away but she doesn't have the heart to glare at the small, innocent creature. But is anything innocent? Because Ally had lived her life full of innocence and still, she was getting the worst deal of it all.

She gulps down air, releases the tight grip on the wheel and squares her shoulders. She presses on the accelerator and attempts the speed limit this time. What's the use in getting angry? That wouldn't do anything but waste time.

She gets the thought like maybe she should return all the calls and text messages. After all, her friends and family were only worried about her. Once Ally had learned about where her health had just fallen, she'd jumped in her car, grabbed her bank card, and drove the furthest she could away from Indiana. She never said goodbye to anyone either and somehow she still didn't feel bad.

Ally can feel her legs started to ache from being cramped up in her car. She suddenly realizes the burning ache inside her palms, too, from all of that wheel-clenching. She drives a little further before she pulls into a small coffee shop.

It's odd that there's a coffee shop in the middle of nowhere, but Ally's dying for a stretch and also a coffee, so she ignores the oddity of it. She parks her car near the road because she's sure she could use the walk to the coffee place.

She steps inside and the smell of coffee beans fills her nostrils. Despite wanting the coffee, she gets a water bottle instead. After all, maybe she should stay away from caffeine. Her heart is already dying enough as it is.

She sits down at a table. There chair is stiff and it's cold, but she doesn't care. She gazes out the window, watching the vibration of raindrops drizzle down. It's like the outside gloominess is mocking how she feels inside.

Somebody pulls a chair out and sits in front of her. She looks at the man. Maybe he's thirty, maybe he's forty. She can't tell because he's bald and there are bags under his eyes and his neck and scalp are bruising. His lips are chapped as he gives her a weak smile. "Seat taken?"

"No." she said, before looking outside again.

"Well, you look ecstatic today." The sarcasm soaked his voice in a light, humorous way and Ally knew there was no biting his head off because it wasn't a shock that he must be on the same boat as Ally. Life has kicked them both in the ass.

"Just peachy," she mumbled, looking down at her water bottle and unscrewing the cap before screwing it on again. She did this repeatedly and somehow it amused her.

"So, what's with you?" he questioned her. She arched a perfectly trimmed brow at him. "What brings you to this life-draining place? Everybody who comes here are only people who just battered their hopes from going to that stupid Saint Peter's church."

That's when Ally glances around and it's full of sick people. People who are near the end, people who are sad, people who are balding like the guy in front of her, people who look perfectly normal and are probably stretched into the same situation as her.

She looked back at the guy. "Heart failure. Stage 1." Ally said, flatly. She has never heard herself sound so nonchalant, so void of emotion, so upfront before. But there was nothing to hide anymore. This place was death ridden. She's pretty sure she saw the grim reaper himself standing in the doorway.

"Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. No stage, just dying." he said. Ally looked at him for long a moment before nodding her head. She glanced around the room before scoffing and shaking her head. She gazed down at the lid of her water bottle again. "What?" he questioned.

Ally glanced up at his stingray eyes. "I've never felt so _in-place _before. I fit right in."

The guy huffed through his nostrils once, his shoulders bouncing as she glanced around as well. He wondered a little bit how the workers could stand being in this place that was surrounded by so much death, but he recalls seeing the father with a bald head and chapped lips, too, so they probably designed this place just for them. Maybe the act is nice, but sitting in this chair, he realizes how much he feels like complete and utter shit.

"I guess that's why this place will never be run-down or abandoned." said the guy. "We all..._match_."

"I don't want to match with anybody in here. Ever. So why do I?" Ally questioned, looking at him.

"I'm sure we've all asked ourselves the same question opening that door." he said. "But maybe there's comfort with that. You know, knowing that we're all reaching the end, none of us are getting over this. There's no making it for us now."

But Ally wanted to make it. She wanted to live. She wanted to breathe air until she was one hundred years old. That's not okay. It is not okay to be twenty four years old and dying.

"Well," Ally huffed, "We've just hit the jackpot of our lives, now didn't we?"

"You could say that." he replied.

Ally shook her head. "This isn't fair. This wasn't supposed to happen to me. This was supposed to happen to everyone _but _me. So, Why is it? Why is this happening to me?"

"I remember asking myself that once, eventually you'll just have to give in and get used to the fact that it is happening to you and there's nothing you can do about it. Nothing other than accepting it. We're just a group of strangers categorized into one specific group: _The losers. _Because really, we did lose. We're losing everything. Our happiness, our freedom, our entire damn lives."

Ally looked at him and nodded her head slowly. She bit on the inside of her cheek. "Ally." she said, extending her hand from him to shake.

His hand was cold as he grabbed her palm and shook it. "Lucas."

"Should I stay or should I go? I mean, it feels kind of wrong to leave this place when I fit in so tightly." Ally grumbled.

"I'd leave." Lucas said, leaning forward and looking at her. "Go home, see your family and friends and just pretend like it's not happening. Like one day your heart will never stop beating even though you know it will." he paused, "Make a bucket list."

Ally looked at him, "A bucket list?"

"Yeah. Everything you've ever wanted to do. Everything you've always been too afraid to do. Or maybe just the things that you've wanted to do but never got around to. You could stop you? You're dying. You deserve to live in your last moments." Lucas said. "What is something you've always wanted to do but never had the courage?"

Ally thought for a moment. She honestly didn't know because she thought life was going great up until now. Suddenly, something crossed her mind. She couldn't believe she thought it but now after Lucas's small little speech, it seemed perfect and she felt like she needed to do it.

"I want to do something reckless. Something that makes people tell you that you're stupid, something that you know it stupid but you do it anyways." Ally said.

Lucas grinned. "You should do it. Anything and everything reckless that you can think of. Do it." Ally pushed out of her chair and stood up, grabbing her water bottle. She started walking away. "Where are you going?" Lucas called out to her.

Ally stopped and looked over at him with a smirk on her alchemist rose lips. "I'm going to Miami."

Lucas's lips curled into a smile as he watched her walk out. He nodded his head, pursing his lips and feeling happy for her. She was young. She deserved something that would become a tell-tale.

**New story next to all of my other new stories and there are still other stories that I have thought of. My mind just doesn't stop, does it? **

**Well, Reviews are awesome so you should drop a review even if you hate reviewing. I feel like this story is going to be awesome because I'm pleased with this chapter. **

**I was inspired from the song Pressure by The 1975: "My broken veins say that if my heart stops beating, we'll bleed the same way". **

**Once again, Review this.**


	2. Chapter 2

He runs his fingers through his blonde hair. He hears a soft greeting coming from the bed. He turns around and sees the blonde girl laying there and watching him with loving eyes. "Hey." Austin replies, his voice is smooth and cool.

"You can't seriously be going already." Piper says and finds the courage to finally sit up. She can smell the faint scent of axe cologne and she feels high off of it already. This boy was just so perfect for her. They matched. Ever since the day he bumped into her at that cafe. She still never regrets going to the cafe.

"I'm a business man, not a family man." his voice is teasing but she doesn't realize how much truth is behind that like he does. He still doesn't feel bad for her when he knows that he's not coming back tonight but, boy, was she stupid to ever think that Austin would actually stay. Of course, she is not aware of his past or his reputation.

She gives him a smirk and pats the bed, "You could be for today."

Austin tries not to give a wry laugh because she's awful and doesn't even know it. Sure, he loved grazing her skin with the pads of his finger tips, cupping her face and giving her those most passionate of kisses, but she never made him feel..._good _enough. If you understand what that implies...

"I would love to, P, but I've really got to get to work. My boss has been riding my tail for the last week for being late." Austin said. Piper frowns and then nods. She reminds herself that he always comes home for lunch and immediately brightens up.

Piper scrubs her fingers through her long, blonde hair and gives him a smile. "Have a good day, then." she said. He nods, fixes up his suit and walks towards her. He leans down and gives her a quick kiss. He makes sure it doesn't last over a second, because he's not going to last here over a second either.

It strikes Piper as odd but she doesn't say anything. Austin grabs the suitcase. "Love you." he says, just because he's such a great actor and he leaves the house. He's going to miss the mansion, he's going to miss that little terrier dog, he's going to miss warm baths in a Jacuzzi, he's not going to miss Piper.

For the sake of it, he takes her car too. Piper had given him her keys and he'd been driving around her swift, silver Camry. The suitcase is in the trunk and finally he can take off his suit jacket and ruffle up his hair. That was four months of faking and it was well worth it, he decides as he smirks down at her five bank cards that he just robbed without her knowing.

Austin was the best con artist in the business. Treating rich girls like princesses, faking his love for them and also his own identity before he takes off at random, stealing both hearts and all their money. He was the definition of reckless, or perhaps it wasn't conning that was his forte, it was just downright deceiving people. He excelled at making rich women fall for him and then stealing everything from them, he robbed convenient stores, liquor stores, etc. He's never been caught nor has anyone ever discovered that it was Austin doing all of this, he was absolutely the greatest at this.

He learned from his skillful father, the conning ways and it was the most exciting thing when his dad learned that Austin was fantastic at conning. He was manipulative, condescending, a pathological liar when he wanted to be, and a great actor at its finest. It wasn't like Austin's dad forced him into this, of course not, his father introduced him to the world and Austin had also thought it was the most enjoyable job to ever exist. He made his father proud. Of course his father is off conning somewhere else in the world and Austin never knew his mother.

If Austin had been good at saving money rather than spending it all, he would be a billionaire. Instead of taking those earnings and buying a house and a new car with them, he sticks to owning a run-down apartment at the sketchy side of Miami and constantly taking off around the city on his motorcycle. He knows to never over welcome his stay anywhere.

Austin Moon is not the settle down, grab a girlfriend, let's get married and have a family type. Austin is all for the fast life and the fast life has treated him well for as long as he could remember. He was as young as twelve when he began conning, though of course, it was never so professional until he was about sixteen and he could sneak his hands into pockets, stealing those phones, wallet's, credit cards, ID's. His youngster conning days were all for robbing the convenient store or taking part in his father's conning. Austin still thinks he has a long way to go to reach up to his father's pedestal.

Finally, he had turned eighteen and discovered that he could get the best of both worlds: sleeping with women and taking all of their money while continuing business. He's become a talented con man. Years of hard work will always pay off. Of course, stealing from rich women isn't all he does. He still expertise's in robbing liquor stores and convenient stores, being an "entrepreneur", and he was even sick enough to fool a six year old into letting him into her house while her parents weren't around. He laughs lightly when he thinks about it. Kids are so gullible and he knows that her parents are probably still struggling to maintain their house payment's ever since he struck their home. What a lovely little helper that girl was.

But his favourite night's, his absolute favourites, are the night's when he is not conning. When he is hanging out in that sketchy back alley with his "buddies" and he's drinking himself away and pretending like he didn't rob from the richest women in Miami or from another state, because he does do a lot of traveling to keep himself paid well. His buddies worship him in all his glory, they're the only ones who know that he's a con man and they have no intention of ever letting anyone else find out because...Well...Austin would probably sew their asses onto train tracks and watch them lose their limbs beneath those magnetic wheels.

He's a good trickster, that Austin Moon boy, and whoever gets the privilege on knowing him and discovering just who he really is, they know it too. Austin finds his self-worth when he's sipping and spilling beer all over his white dress shirt that was once used to fool a lady, a _customer_. He finds his joy feeling that gun tucked into his belt, pressed against his back as its hidden by one of his leather jackets, his suit jackets, whatever he feels cool in really. Austin really is cool, that's what everyone says. He models a death ticket between his finger tips, he inhales and then exhales before dropping the cigarette butt onto the gravel and crushing it with his polished shoes.

He's got a cruel grin on his face and he swings open the door to a convenience store. There's a bounce in his step and he keeps his posture innocent and like a twenty four year old boy who had just gotten the best paycheck. Well, he was a twenty four year old who got the best paycheck.

For the sake of the three year old standing by the snack bar, Austin doesn't pull the gun. He keeps it hidden and decides to be generous enough to actually be a normal citizen today. He slaps the money bills on the counter and flops down a magazine, cigarette's, chocolate bars, and a bottle of Pepsi onto the counter.

And goodness, Austin's like the kindest man you'll meet! He looks at everyone the same - the kind eyes, friendly smile, his lips smacking out a few teasing remarks that'll have your shoulders shaking with laughter. You'd never know who he really is and well, his innocent-friendly attitude _is_ his con man. The _true_ Austin Moon is sinister, deceitful, cunning.

He takes that plastic bad and leaves the store, slamming the glass door behind him for his satisfactory. He can smell the fresh scent of rain and he can't wait until the streets shine like silver. There was something about the rain that made him feel more alive, made him feel more like an expert. Because really, who is going to chase a con man in the pouring rain? Nobody he knows.

He tosses the plastic bag into the back, cracks open the Pepsi and glugs it down. The fizz tickles his throat but the drink feels nice. He's been sticking to wine, water, and sparkling apple juice for the last four months. He munches on his Aero bar and holy man, chocolate has never tasted so good. He almost moans.

He saves the pack of cigarettes for later. He waits a while until he slips back into his seat. He's got to ditch Piper's car before she or anybody else spots it, spots him. He slams the car into drive and he takes off down the road. He stops by a lake.

He gets out of the car, leaving it beneath the bridge. Nobody's ever around here and when Piper finds her slick ride. The tires will be popped and the windows smashed. She was a rich bitch anyways, Austin thinks to himself, she can afford to have this repaired.

There's a bitter spot in his heart for all of those rich folks, no wonder it's so much fun to con them. There was nothing more satisfying than watching people who have it all, fall flat on their faces and cry like babies.

It's a long walk back to the sketchy side of Miami where he walks the beat up flight of stairs and gets to his apartment. He ignores that slutty Tina girl who always waits for him by his door. She's got a boyfriend anyway. Besides, Austin doesn't do relationships. He doesn't have time for that load of bull. Don't get him wrong, he does think love is real, it's the fact that he thinks it's not worth his time that has got him all strung out on rolling his eyes at the four letter word.

Something smells sour and Austin figures that it's the four month spoiled milk in the fridge. He tries not to cringe when he dumps it down the drain. He won't describe what it looked like, it was just disgusting. He shakes his head. How stupid of him to leave milk in the fridge when he's gone for four months. He must've thought that one of his buddy's would've taken care of that for him. He thought wrong.

He tosses himself down onto his half-broken couch. Yeah, he's got loads of cash that could make up for this dump but for some reason, when things are leaking and broken, when things are falling apart and old, Austin feels more secure. Austin feels more at home.

He smirks to himself, moving his finger tip to the rhythm of whatever radio station is blaring from downstairs. He can hear the couple in the room next door fighting and screaming. Looks like Cynthia finally cheated on Rob. It was about time. Austin wonders why he's mad, he cheats on Cynthia all the time, if you asked Austin, he'd tell you that it was Cynthia's time to shine.

Austin could have a real life, he knew that. He didn't want one was the thing. He'd put a gun to his head if he didn't enjoy the danger so much. Then again, he practically is holding a gun to his head with the stunt's he pulls. Austin feels like he deserves hard liquor. He hasn't had some since Piper. She only liked wine and light drinks. She didn't approve of his taste in drinks. Thank God he doesn't have to put up with that anymore. He decides tonight he'll go out and get some after he takes a long nap that he probably could've gone without but didn't want to.

**. . . . . .**

Miami is stupid.

Ally has that decided when four strangers accused her of 1) cheating on their boyfriend's before realizing they had the wrong girl or 2) very visibly checked out Ally despite the fact that she's not even wearing anything provocative.

Oh, hell, Ally does not belong here. She should gather up what's left of her dignity and go home. She isn't so much nervous like she thought she'd be, she was suddenly feeling the craving of everything she's lacked in her life. She was a straight A student, she was on the soccer team, she was sweet, she was innocent, she was helpful, she was generous, she was everything that she's pretending she's not.

This is it. Ally is going to do _everything _that goes against her morals. Ally is going to be the complete opposite of what she's always been. She had wasted twenty four years of her life being the goody-two-shoes she was raised to be and now look where that got her. She still agreed with Lucas: she was dying so now she _deserved _to _live._

Man, how is she going to do this on her own? she wonders to herself. She doesn't know how! Does she walk up and punch somebody? Does she sleep with somebody's boyfriend? Does she shatter a cop's car window? What. Does. She. Do.?

She decides that she is going to buy hard liquor. Why? Well, why not? She has never drank in her life besides that sip of wine in tenth grade. Of course at that time, she was a radiant ball of sunshine, living to please her friends and her parents, living to please herself. Now Ally doesn't care who she pleases or doesn't please, she wanted to get back all the things that she missed out on.

She pulls up at the back of the store. Maybe she should rob the place. Well, she didn't want to die just yet. She grabs the scraps of money in her bag and she heads inside. She shivers from the rain but it feels good. She can feel her pulse inside her wrists and it makes her feel broken and when you're this broken, when you're dying, that's when you feel the most alive.

She browses the liquor store and she's nonchalant like she's been doing this for a while. Does the cashier notice that this torture because what kind of hard liquor will she get? When even is hard liquor exactly?

The door opens and she glances over. There's a blonde boy, his hair is messy and his smile looks so fake. Ally rolls her eyes and continues down an aisle. She sneaks another look at Austin from behind one of the shelves and she notices him discretely and slowly lifting up the back of his shirt. She spots a gun.

The weirdest thing...The weirdest thing about this situation is that she didn't shout _oh my God! He's got a gun! We're dying tonight! _No. Her heart didn't pick up in speed. She didn't look to see if anybody else in this liquor store noticed. She did none of what she probably would have done a month ago. This time was different. This time _she smiled._

It wasn't a big smile. It wasn't _Oh, a savior! _It wasn't _Mmm, a bad boy! _It was a smile that only curled on one side of her lips, a crooked smile. A crooked smile that only echoed her thoughts of _I found the boy who is going to teach me how to be reckless. _Because suddenly, she felt like she was ten feet tall by just looking at him. As she watched his fingers slowly wrap around that gun. He was the definition of reckless. He was dangerous. He was bad. How could she not have known by the look of his eyes? They're like missiles of danger shooting in every direction, his hair swooped over his forehead like it was hiding his face, and his stance was bold and deadly.

She ducks behind the shelf slightly and peers at him. She wants to see this and she can't even explain to herself why there is not one bit of fear clawing at her. It's almost like she's thanking him for being here. For showing up. For waltzing through that door like it was the door to her life - what's left of it anyways.

The slow motion of her world stopped as he whisked out the gun and head it all set, his finger on the trigger. The cashier's eyes widen and he freezes in place. Automatically, his hands fly up. There are gasps in the liquor store. It makes Ally feel like giggling for some reason but she keeps her lips shut.

"Hi," the blonde boy greets, his movements looking theatrical like he's introducing himself in the most modest way. "I'm giving you all the best treat ever..." he tells the customer's who are silent, fearing him. The cashier moves slightly. His movement is towards the phone. Austin wavers the gun in his hand slightly making the cashier halt his movements. "Thatta boy," he smirks, "You stay right there. This will only be a second and that my eyes will be right back on you." he says tauntingly. He looks at the customer's again, gun still pointed at the cashier. "All of you can get the hell out of here or...I can shoot you. Choice is yours."

Ally tells herself to stay put. He doesn't even know she's here. Even if he does, she's not going anywhere. He is going to show her reckless and she isn't going to give up until he does. Even if that means dying right here. Naturally, Ally doesn't want to die but if she died because she was being reckless, that was quite the treat. It would be more honorary to be shot than to die because the life is being strangled out of you without a real cause other than the words _your heart sucks._

The customers scurry out, shrieking. Of course Austin had them all slap their phones to the ground and crush them before they were allowed to leave. Austin gives a lazy grin and slowly turns around slightly to look in Ally's direction. She doesn't even gulp but maybe she wanted to. The important thing was that she didn't.

"Alright, Angel, you can come out of hiding now. Go on. Leave me to the business with..." Austin glanced at the cashier and his eyes grazed the nametag, "Lewis." Ally kept her feet planted on the ground. Reckless, she chanted in her mind and she felt like she was on some sort of high right now. Austin's chuckle is hearty. "You don't need to pretend like you're a dauntless human. Don't worry about facade's in front of me. I'm no one worth putting up a facade for, trust me. I mean...Look..." he pointed at his gun. He looked back at Ally. "And I get..." he shook his head, "I get the feeling that you're not much of a drinker." And she realizes, despite coming here for hard liquor, she'd grabbed a water bottle. "You obviously don't know what you're doing here...It's your face, too, you don't hold that...mischievous look. The look that you want. You don't have it, Angel."

"Come on," the cashier's voice is weak, "Leave the girl alone. Take whatever you want and leave her alone."

Austin doesn't hesitate, pulling that trigger. The man howls in pain, grabbing his arm. Austin's laugh is mocking as he watches the man breathe through the agony. "Relax...It's a small wound. I happen to know how to aim."

Austin turned back to look at Ally. She set down the water bottle on the shelf and looked over at the cooler of hard liquor. Austin started to laugh, looking heavenward and then back at Ally. Ally is questioning this whole discernment thing that the priest had also had because apparently she's not hard to read. Or maybe she just sucks at faking. Maybe she sucks at everything.

"Which one are you gonna take?" Austin mocks in a hushed voice before laughing again. He shoots in her direction and the bullet pierces the glass behind her and it shatters. His eyes brows cock upwards in amusement. "Oh...Angel...You didn't even flinch."

She is really holding her ground. She doesn't know what has gotten into her but this man did not scare her. This man gave her a high. This man was going to show her an entire new life style and she was determined to get it.

Austin suddenly gives up on taunting her or encouraging her to leave. He turns back to the cashier. "I want an entire pack of beer and some scotch. Four of those candy bars. And all of that money in your cash register." Austin said, leaning against the counter and swinging the gun on his finger tip. Austin suddenly glanced over his shoulder. "Hey, Angel," he called, "Hand me that pack of beer, would you?" he questioned.

She was more than willing. Not even biting her lip or clenching her fists in anxiousness, Ally was already grabbing a hold of the pack of beer. She walked to him and slapped the case on the counter. The cashier was still writhing in pain as he brought the scotch onto the counter. He flipped open the cash register. Austin leaped over the counter and helped himself to the money, piling it into plastic bags.

Ally looks over at the cashier. She is new at this (Okay, she's not even a part of this) and she still has the piece of generosity in her, despite how life was biting her spine and breaking it. She slides some money across the counter. Austin chuckles lightly. Yeah, this girl really wasn't dauntless or cunning like she'd most likely tried to pretend to be. He lets her give the money to the man. Austin's really selfish, but he's having a generous day today.

Austin takes his things after stuffing his gun back into the back of his pants, tucking it into his belt. "Thank you, Lewis." he said, slyly. Austin winked at Ally. "Angel." He took off out of the store. "Oh!" he looked at Lewis. "You might need surgery on that, just saying!" Then he walked out.

Ally looked at the man and the crooked smile of determination was back on her face. She took off after him, ignoring the groaning man. Ally quickens her speed and slams him into the wall.

"Shit!" Austin yelled, caught off guard. He sees who is pinning up against the side of the building. Austin's lips curled slyly again. "Angel. Lovely to see you again."

There is this surge of confidence, determination, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she shoves him again like she's trying to knock the sly out of him. "I'm going with you." she states. She doesn't know where exactly but she doesn't care. Wherever he's going, she's going because it's bound to be somewhere stupid and dangerous and she wanted this. This was going to fly her into a place of the living!

Ally's grip is hard on his shoulders as Austin has already set down everything he was holding and gripping her wrists. It didn't take much to get her hands off of his shoulders. "Sorry, Angel, this ain't a party."

"No...No...Take me with you." It's like she's pleading now. What had first come as a determined statement became this plead pouring out her lips.

Austin gives her a wry look. "No."

"No? I want to go with you. Take me with you." The determination is back and demanding.

"You know, I'm flattered but you're not coming with me. I've seen your type. You're the goody-two-shoes who thinks she's better than everyone. The girl who likes to stay at home on Saturday's, read a book, send money to charity. I get it. But you wouldn't last a day where I'm going, what I do. You'd be crying within five minutes."

"I beg to differ." Ally growled, "I can do this. I will do what you want, I'll do whatever you say. Just let me go with you." There was this incessant need/want in her eyes. It was distracting him from the fact that he knew she was a total amateur, that she was nothing close to being what he was, she was not familiar with his lifestyle.

"I don't do partnerships." Austin said, pushing her out of the way and grabbing his things.

Ally was not just going to let him walk away! He's right here. The most reckless guy she's ever seen before. He can't just walk off. She needs this. She needs to live! "I deserve this!" she spat.

"Oh, well, that's great," Austin said, his voice raising into a higher pitch like he was genuinely happy for her yet it was mocking at the same time. "Now, go back in there and grab your water bottle. Maybe take your twenty bucks back." he guffawed.

"Don't you walk away!" she shouted at him, over the sound of the drizzling rain. Austin chuckled to himself as he kept walking. She followed him to his car where he tossed his things inside. It was run-down and falling apart. He really was reckless driving something like this around. Austin looked at her with amusement, leaning his arms up against the roof of his car as he looked across at her. She was standing by the passenger side and there was this feeling inside of him like it didn't matter what he would say, she'd probably get in anyways.

It's quick but Ally catches it. The nod for her to jump in with him. She did it. She was going with him. Her lips curled into a satisfied grin. Coincidentally, her car had been parked next to his. She's leaving it behind because she doesn't want it anymore suddenly. She takes her phone, her bag with her belongings inside and then jumps into Austin's car with him.

The inside smells like cigarette smoke but Ally doesn't seem to mind. The air conditioner is broken and the radio is fuzzy, hardly working but once again, she doesn't mind. Austin was going to show her reckless. He was going to give her exactly what she needed, he was going to give her a life before it ended.


	3. Chapter 3

It's been ten minutes with him in his car. He does not want her here and it's obvious but Ally doesn't care. She's here and she's not leaving. She needed this reckless life. She had made herself comfy on the front seat, sinking into her baggy sweater. She felt like this car was going to become home.

"Look, Angel-"

"-Call me Ally." she said.

"I hate that name."

"Me, too." Ally replied.

He shook his head. "You're not going to like what I do. You don't know what I do."

"Well, what do you do?" she questioned.

He stared at her for a moment. She's his age and he doubts that she'd waste her time explaining his job to anybody so he decides to tell her. "I'm a con artist."

She leans her head back on the seat, her lips are still curled into a grin as she looks out the window, "That's cool."

He hadn't expected that. He glanced at her and then an idea struck his mind. She wanted reckless? He was going to give it to her. There's nothing more fun than transforming somebody innocent into somebody totally bad. Perhaps, this was another adventure he had yet to experience in his life. He smirks. "What would you say to conning?"

She had to bite her tongue so she wouldn't howl out how perfect this was. She glanced back at him, too. "I thought you said you didn't do partnerships." she retorted.

"I've reconsidered." he replied, focusing on the road again.

Ally pretended to hesitate. "Sounds good to me."

She was different than what he'd expected. She really was serious about wanting to come with him, doing as he said. He couldn't figure out why she wanted this. She looked like an average girl who probably attended Harvard or NYU. He didn't know if she did or not but she's sitting in his front seat now and, for some reason, wants all of this and he's strangely okay with that. It is what it is.

He reaches into the backseat while managing to keep the car moving straight on the road. He tosses something into her lap. She looks at it and sees the bottle of scotch. He tells her slyly, "Drink that. Right now."

"What?" she questioned, frowning in confusion.

"Drink it." he told her.

The goody-two-shoes side of her sparks. "Uh...Well, I've never drank before...Shouldn't I try something lighter and then eventually get to this-"

"Drink." he demands.

Ally stares at him for a moment before obeying. Oh, how bad this was for her ever-weakening heart and oh, how badly she didn't care anymore. This is called living, she tells herself. She gets the cap off and then takes a small, itty bitty sip. She clears her throat slightly.

"That was shitty. Gulp it." Austin demanded. She looks at him again before looking at the bottle. She sighs. She throws back the contents, drowning them into her esophagus. She pulls the bottle away from her lips, coughing and gagging. It burned her mouth. Austin laughed whole heartedly.

He decides that maybe having her around won't be so bad if he gets to watch stupid stuff like this every time. He looks at her and sees her throwing back more of the contents as it now seemed her mouth was numb to its burning sensation. His eyes widened slightly and he reaches out, pulling the bottle from her mouth. The liquid falls over the front of the Hoodie she's wearing.

"Hey, Rookie, settle down." Austin said, dropping the bottle in the cup holder. Ally dabbed at her mouth with the back of her hand, coughing a little more. "You have a lot to learn, do you hear me? Until you know what you're doing, don't touch anything or do anything without my approval first." Really he didn't care what she did, but he really liked this control thing, this master thing. He liked being the dictator.

She frowned over at him, "I didn't peg you for a control freak."

"Surprise, bitch." Austin said wryly. Ally shook her head and rolled her eyes slightly as she watched the city pass her by. A few minutes pass by. "So, Rookie, Where do you come from?"

"Does it matter?" Ally replied, her throat still feeling like it was on fire.

"Just trying small talk. Didn't know you were so touchy." Austin replied.

"Indiana." Ally said after a beat of silence. "What about you?"

"Tampa." Austin said. "I always visited Miami as a kid. Eventually decided to make it home." Ally nodded. "What brings you to Miami?"

Ally shrugged, "I needed something new."

"Well," Austin started, his tone dry, "You picked a great _something new_. You know, most girls would move to L.A., New York, Malibu, to become fashion designers, models, singers. You pick Miami to crash a lifestyle with a con artist."

"I'm not most girls." _Of course she's not like most girls, she's dying._

"No, shit." Austin mumbled, a chuckle vibrating out from his vocal cords. Austin has suddenly pulled down a sketchy road, that was the first thing Ally nodded. Hobo's, drug addicts, and more, all living down on this _venue._ This is what you wanted, Ally, don't act so surprised, she thought sourly. So she squares her shoulders and lets her heart pump adrenaline to her veins.

The stares she's given doesn't go unnoticed. They are frowning and Austin knows why. It was obvious Ally was not some rich chick. She didn't have the diamond earrings, the designers clothes on, or the twice shampooed hair. She was so original. Also the fact that Austin's never brought a girl here before.

Austin pretends like he doesn't feel those gazes drilling into the car as he spins around a curve in the road and poorly parks the car by a dumpster that reeks like old food. Austin takes the keys and gives her a smirk. "This is home, Angel."

She gets out of the car and she can feel the bad company like knives in her back. She suddenly wants to glue herself to Austin, have him shield her from their odd looks, from their untrustworthy demeanor. She sticks to her own stride instead, following behind him.

Just as he opens the door. Ally's bombarded with the smell of cigarettes, beer, weed, and everything else that smells like somebody died. The hallway is narrow and the walls look like they're going to crumble but as Austin raps and glides his knuckles along the walls until he reaches his door, Ally knows that they are sturdy enough.

He pops open the door and the first thing she sees is the clean, but beat-up apartment. She wonders how this place could look like such trash but still feel so completely cozy. She walks in first, he seems to have a little bit of politeness. No, the politeness is gone when he thinks she's moving a little too slow, so he gives her a nudge to make her hurry up. Ally stumbles inside and then hears the door creak shut behind Austin.

He looks around. "Well..." he looks around and points in every direction as he lists, "Kitchen, living room, bathroom, bedroom." His hands are in his pockets as he smirks lazily at her, "Wanna go home yet?"

She looks at him and shakes her head, "No. I like it."

He stares at her for longer than he thought he would. He couldn't believe she actually liked it. This place was as smelly, as run down, as disgusting as an apartment could get and, like him, she liked it! Yeah, this partnership thing might just work out because she's not the typical goody-two-shoes. Well, obviously not, like, she was willing to give up every good thing she had going for her to make her life like Austin's. She's a nut.

"You get beat up couch, I get busted mattress bed." Austin said. "I don't care if you're a rookie, you don't get the bed."

"Didn't plan on it." she replied. He dropped everything he'd bought at the liquor store onto the counters. He cracked open a can of beer and started glugging it. Ally's never exactly been around somebody drunk before and she has mixed feelings between whether she's curious, excited, or scared.

"Don't worry," his grin is boyish, "I won't get drunk until you're comfortable here, _but_," he smirks widens as he flips out a cigarette box, "If you really want this partnership, you've got to try your first cigarette." he flashes the death ticket in her face.

The first thing that comes to mind is her heart. She had forgotten how much of this being reckless thing was probably going to make her die faster. She still finds the ability to smirk and nod her head. He points to the couch for her to sit down on. It's lumpy and uncomfortable but she doesn't mind all too much. It's better than paying for a hotel.

He flips out a lighter from his back pocket. He holds the cigarette for her, pressing it between her lips. She feels energetic and alive right now, but terrified. Her smirk hides her terror. This was against everything in her, but she wanted this life and if she dies from this, at least she can say, she was living out the last few bits of her life. The cigarette is lit. "Inhale." he orders and she does. Austin quickly tears the cigarette away from her lips when she begins to cough hysterically, smoke spilling out her lips. He grins, laughing to himself. Having her around was already fun. It's like experiencing all of his firsts again. When she's finished nearly coughing up her lungs, he places it back on her mouth. She knows what to do this time: she inhales and she coughs lightly, but she's doing well enough for Austin to know that she's a complete natural.

"Good girl," Austin taunts. He picks up her hand and places her fingers on the cigarette so it is now propped between the tips of her middle and index finger. His grin gets bigger when she inhales deeper and then blows out in his face to which he inhales the smoke. He tries not to laugh when she makes a disgusted face at him. He doesn't regret letting her join him one bit. She pulls the cigarette away for another small fit of coughing. Austin just smirks.

**So...Really short, sorry. **


	4. Chapter 4

Austin twisted to look at Ally who was sitting in the passenger seat. After two weeks of practice, he thought she was ready. She wasn't what he'd expected for a goody-two-shoes, he could see that she really did want this reckless thing.

"Remember what I said," Austin started, eyeing around his car for anybody who might look at them suspiciously, "We hold the gun, threaten with the gun, we don't kill with the gun. If we shoot, we shoot at places that will not be fatal." Ally nodded as she looked around at the people who were walking in and out of the liquor store. Austin once again wanted his case of beer. He waited a moment before looking at her, "Are you nervous?"

Ally shook her head, "No."

Austin smirked slyly and nodded his head. "Follow my lead." Austin said, jumping out of the car. Ally opened the passenger side door and followed him inside. Austin grinned at anybody who looked at him, Ally remained poker faced. She was afraid that if she grinned, her lips would wobble.

She lied to Austin. She _was _kind of nervous. After all, this was her first robbery. Of course she felt slightly confident with all of the practice Austin had given her over the course of the last two weeks. She knew how to shoot and aim a gun, she knew all about the conning, the faking, the acting, she had grown familiar with how to behave in public and Austin had even given her a new name _Taylor Belle. _He played around with his own name _Jack Daniel's. _How original, right? Ally guffawed when she'd heard it.

Austin glanced over at Ally over his shoulder and discretely nudged her off into the aisle to collect the case of beer. Ally carefully walked along the aisle, her steps were light like she was afraid if she stepped down any harder the floor would break under the weight of all of this faking. She knew she didn't belong in this lifestyle, but she'd be lying if she said it didn't give her a high.

The man next to her glared down at her with condescending eyes. Ally gave him a twisted smile, surprised with herself that she could appear so sly when she was nearly trembling in her shoes. She rounded the aisle, carefully peeking around the shelf to where Austin was. He was picking at magazines and glancing around. He was looking for the right moment and Ally wished he'd hurry because she was getting more anxious. This was exhilarating yet frightening all at once, but she still had no regrets.

It was déjà vu watching Austin from behind the shelf. His eyes caught onto hers and he gave her a wink. She stared at him for a moment before glancing over at the man in the next aisle. He was too busy looking for a good drink to notice that she was pretty much hiding behind the shelf, like she didn't want anybody to see her. Of course, it's not like anybody would really catch a good look at her face. She was wearing a fake lip and nose piercing and thick framed glasses.

Carefully, Ally reaches into her jacket and pulls out the gun very discretely. She holds it down at her side and prays silently that nobody notices. She looked at Austin and gave him a small nod. She wasn't even trembling anymore.

Austin grinned at her and it was super fast, she hardly had time to bat an eye lash when he had taken his gun from the back of his pants and shot a bullet into the ceiling. Gasps and shrieks filled the liquor store. Boy, Miami had bad luck. The downtown liquor store, now this one? Ally almost shakes her head.

Ally jumps away from the shelf and holds up her gun like Austin had previously told her to do. She points it at several people, silently threatening to shoot them. She felt a little bit insecure holding this gun. It was her first robbery, of course she was bound to be insecure. She focused on letting Austin do all the work. Like he'd told her during breakfast this morning: _Just point the gun and look pretty._

The bullet had struck one of the stores light bulbs. The light flickered as pieces of glass fell from the ceiling. There were shrieks. The man in the aisle next to Ally had dropped his bottle of whiskey and it had smashed all over the floor.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Austin's voice was theoretical and Ally wondered how he could talk without his voice shaking. He was robbing a liquor store, how does he do it so effortlessly? Ally felt like she was going to get sick but she managed to hold back her breakfast. Austin held his gun out now, motioning it in front of the clerk and many customers. "I'd advise that none of you move, this store is under some _maintenance_."

Austin caught movement with his peripheral vision. He glanced over and saw a woman trying to sneak out her cell phone. "Ah, Ah, Ah," Austin clicked his tongue, grinning mockingly at her, "Hand it to me."

The woman hesitated, not wanting to move under his line of vision, but she also values her life and hands him the phone, gulping before shrugging away from him. Austin grins at her. "Thank you, beautiful." he winks. Ally watches his movements. Maybe she could learn from him. She knew she wasn't good at being sly the way he was. He had been telling her how to talk to people, how to behave, how to look, but she doesn't seem to have it down the way he does. She figures that stuff must be left to the experts.

Austin puts the phone to his ear when he heard a sound of a faint _hello? anybody there? _

Austin grins as he looks humorously at everyone, "Yes, 9-1-1?" Austin said. Ally's eyes widened in terror. She quickly shrinks them back to their original size before anybody could notice the sudden fear on her. She swallowed hard and focused back on Austin. "Yes, Miami's South Side Liquor Store is going to be having some fun." Austin's lips curled crookedly. His eyes find Ally's and she doesn't feel so afraid anymore as she tells herself _he's done this so many times, he's an expert, he knows what he's doing, this has happened before. _"You best be on your way." He then tossed the phone across the floor and watched it hit the ground.

Austin turns back to look at all the horrified customers before he notices a change in Ally's features. She seems to grip her gun tighter. He trusts her the most, after all, she was supposed to be his _partner in crime. _Her eyes are flickering between Austin and the clerk. He gets this thrilling feeling like the clerk must've moved.

He slowly turns around with an amused smirk on his face. He raises his eye brows and eyes the clerk who is holding a gun to Austin with a shaky hand. The clerk heard all about random acts of courage, maybe his would save his life and the customers.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Austin suggested, whispering. The clerk stared at him. Austin raised his gun, too. The man closed his eyes and pulled on the trigger. Austin stared down at the gun that was only making small clicking sound as he kept pulling the trigger repeatedly. "Oh, you're out of bullets? Man, Don't you just hate that?" Austin grinned.

Ally breathed out in relief. She glanced heavenward, thanking God that there was no bullets, that Austin didn't get shot. She looked back at Austin who had glanced back at her. He gave her a small nod. Ally grabbed the case of beer and forced her feet to move. She made it to Austin's side where he tossed an arm around her.

"We want this case of beer," Austin said wryly as Ally slowly put the case of beer on the counter. Ally shrugged his arm off of her, giving him a dirty look. He almost laughed.

The clerk looked at Ally. The surprise was written on his face. Ally had innocent written all over her. Her height of five foot three, her big mocha orbs that were hidden behind those thick framed glasses. The only thing that fooled him into deciding she wasn't innocent was those piercings, her gun, and of course her accompanying Austin.

The clerk set down his gun that was empty of bullets and slowly rang in the case of beer. His eyes flickered between Austin and Ally. Ally looked like she was prepared to pay for it, but Austin didn't. Austin peered over at the register. "Oh," Austin grinned at the clerk, "You owe me $18.95." Austin said.

The man handed Austin the money with shaky hands. He couldn't fight with Austin because that just might get him killed. He also knew he should protect his customers and if he could get Austin and Ally to leave without harming anyone, he just might starting believing that there is a God.

The singing of police sirens filled everyone's ears. The customers sighed with relief and the clerk gulped. "Let's go." Austin told Ally, pushing her towards the door. Austin flashed his gun around him, silently threatening if anybody moved, he would shoot.

The two ran out the door and jumped into Austin's beat up car. Austin slammed the car into drive and took off. Ally tossed her gun into the backseat and breathed out relief that she escaped with her life. Austin grinned over at her, "Have you reconsidered this partnership?"

Ally looked up at him, slumped in her seat. "No." she said. Her phone started to ring from the glove box where she'd left it. She opened it and grabbed her phone. She saw the caller ID. It was Trish again for the one thousandth time.

"Who is always calling you on that thing?" Austin questioned, narrowing his eyes at the phone.

"It's my friend," Ally sighed, "I never told them I was going to Miami."

Austin arched his eye brows and laughed with surprise. "You ran away? No goodbye? Not even a warning? Just took off?" Ally looked at him and slowly nodded, feeling slightly ashamed. He laughed again. "That is crazy. You really might be one of us. You actually ran away from your home to become a con artist?"

"Something like that." she mumbled, declining the call. She had never expected to land herself as a con artist, nor did she consider herself one. She liked to say that she _works _with a con artist, not that she is one. "Besides, I'm not a con artist. I'm just associated with one. I'm just a girl who wanted...something different, something reckless, something worth sharing with me."

"You can't share this," Austin shook his head, "This isn't something you're going to do and then share with your grandkids. You're hiding this for life. Cops are after you for your entire life."

Ally stared forward. "They won't find me."

Austin laughed at her _optimism_. "How do you know?"

"I just know." Ally said.

Austin glanced at her, then to the road, then back at her. "What is it about being reckless? Why do you want this?"

"I told you-"

"-No, Why do you _actually _want it? There's got to be a better reason then you wanted a tell-tale." Austin said.

"There isn't a complicated story behind it." There was. "I just...wanted to feel something that I knew I wasn't going to feel living as a stupid goody-two-shoes who listened to everyone and never spoke up for herself."

"So, that's it?" Austin replied, "You want this because you want revenge? You never got a say what happened in your life back in Indiana so you came to Miami so you could do what you want? You want revenge on everything you've never gotten?" Austin said, letting out a soft chuckle like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

The scary thing was he was right. She did want revenge and she didn't have control over her life. Her life was ending and she didn't know where the time would run out on her. She guessed she wanted revenge on fate, she wanted to show fate that she could still live even under a time limit.

"Yeah," Ally smiled up at Austin, "Exactly."

"Well, I hope this gives you what you want." Austin responded. Ally nodded, but she'll never get what she wants, if she did, her heart wouldn't be giving up on her before she even had a chance to get started. "Can you hand me a beer from the pack?"

"No," Ally scoffed, "You're not drinking and driving."

Austin looked at her appalled. "You keep going on about living recklessly and now you won't let me have a beer?" Austin said.

"I stand for all your reckless activities _except _for drinking and driving." Ally said. Austin stared at her for a moment before scoffing and shaking his head. He focused on the road and grumbled under his breath that she was too much of a goody-two-shoes. A goody-two-shoes who just robbed a liquor store with him.


	5. Chapter 5

Ally's playing with the cigarette in her finger tips. Her lungs feel like they're heavy with tar and it's not from the smoking. It's not like there was anywhere to get good air, inside Austin was smoking his cigarette while trying to fix his broken TV and outside it only reeked of pot and marijuana. It's been six weeks of this now, she was growing pretty used to it.

Ally was contemplating whether or not she should toss her phone across the road. Her family should stop calling now, she had just let them down with _I think I've found my place now. You understand, don't you? Don't look for me. _And she'd hung up before she could hear another sob from her mother. Trish had stopped calling a couple weeks ago. The last voicemail she left was _I just miss you and I wanted to spend time with you before...Well, just before anything. I guess you don't want any goodbye's, huh? But I'm going to give you this one. Goodbye. _

Ally's heart clenched. Ally never says goodbye because goodbye's are permanent, aren't they? But Ally has told herself repeatedly, she's not going to be gone, she just won't be here right now, she is just temporarily unavailable. Of course, death isn't temporary. She wished it was.

Ally stared down at the cigarette. Oh, how stupid of her to smoke all for the sake of wanting to live a little before she died. She knew she was only speeding up her dying process, but she'd found what a great stress reliever smoking was. She could stop at anytime and never touch one again, but she liked the gratification the cigarette gave her.

"Ally," Austin called from inside. Ally sighed lightly. Austin opened up the back door and took a look at her. Ally was sitting on the railing, dangling her legs. This didn't look like a very nice situation in his line of vision, "Ally," he said cautiously, "Whatever you're thinking right now, it's a bad idea. Don't do this. Don't."

She looked at him oddly and then realized how it must've looked: she was in a _i'm-going-to-jump-and-die _position. She gave him a smirk, something she learned from him. She swung her legs over and jumped off the railing. She saw him visibly relax. "Don't worry, I wasn't going to jump."

"Oh," he looked at her in confusion, "Then what were you doing?" he questioned following her inside. He had really transformed Ally for her real self. You'd swear there wasn't an inch of goody-two-shoes left on her. She was better than he imagined she was going to be with her stealthy work during robbery, her new sinister attitude. Of course, Austin still saw the real sides of her. But lately, they were disappearing.

Ally learned that she hated vodka, scotch, and whiskey. Rum sucked, too. She liked beer though and sips of wine. She sipped the white wine right from the bottle. Austin smiled at her slightly. She was really becoming like his friend, he didn't want her to be, but lately things were warping into acts of friendships. They started to enjoy each other's company more. He felt more confident with her, he seemed to always be wanting to prove something to her, and Ally just generally felt safe with him, secure.

She waved her cigarette at him, tossing it on the counter. "Killing myself." her lips curled into a twisted grin because of her choice of words. She was convincing him that she wasn't going to jump by telling him she was _killing herself _with a cigarette. The sad thing was that Austin didn't know that the cigarette was literally killing her, worsening her condition. Ally knew she should probably be seeking treatment in the midst of all the crime she's been doing, but she knew she was going to die anyways, why warp _God's plans _as the priest had once told her.

Austin took the wine bottle from her hands and took a giant gulp, not moving his eyes from her. Austin lifted a cigarette to his mouth, lit it, and inhaled. He tossed the lighter on the counter. He breathed out the smoke and Ally felt it wrap around her lips like it were its own set of hands.

"You should've invited me. I kill myself every day." Austin said.

"Probably not the way I do," she smirked at him, holding her chin in her palm. Austin chuckled slightly, leaning forward on the counter. Their faces were in close proximity and if Ally hadn't been on this reckless streak, she might've squealed and told herself that she couldn't get that close to a boy without getting awkward. It was weird how lying to yourself could make you a better person.

Or was she even a better person at all?

She flinches suddenly, there is a burst of pain in her chest but as quick as it comes, it's gone. She fixes her posture and appears relaxed and mischievous again. Austin focused on her, "What was that?" he questioned her.

She hoped he didn't ask, but he had. She smirked, "Concerned about me?" Austin laughed slightly and shook his head, "I think I downed that wine too fast." she told him. He started to snicker. She knew he wouldn't be snickering if she'd told him the truth, the truth like _Oh, sometimes I get chest pain because my heart is dying and it pumps too hard. Don't be too concerned, it'll only happen more frequently and much worse as time goes on. _

Ally can feel Austin's breath fanning on her lips. It makes her want to kiss him, but she thinks about how soon that would be. They've only been conning for six weeks and she's still the amateur she was when they first started, the amateur who was now experienced with drinking and smoking and stealing. He was an attractive man, though, with those brown eyes that looked like hot chocolate and his lips that were the color of a soft, blushing pink rose. His nose was the perfect angle and suited his face well. Her eyes ran along his jaw line and then to his chin. Her eyes roamed up to his eyes again.

She noticed not only were his lips smirking, but so were his eyes. "You look fascinated." he said.

Ally felt her lips tilted into a small smirk, nearly mirroring his lips. She glanced down to the cigarette butt that was in her finger tips and then glanced back at him. She lifted her fingers and pressed the cigarette onto his lips. Austin smirked wider on the cigarette as he inhaled again. He exhaled and blew the smoke in Ally's face. She felt the smoke pool along her lips and cheeks. She didn't flinch as she felt it drift away.

"How would you feel about a break-in?" Austin questioned.

"Haven't we already been doing that?" Ally questioned.

"No. I mean a break-in. Like, a house break-in." Austin said. Ally looked at him. "I've got my eye on this one house. Rich folk's place. They've got a safe filled with tons of cash. I wanted to break-in and take the damn thing."

"Austin," Ally said hesitantly.

Austin smirked again, "There's that goody-two-shoes side of you." Austin said teasingly.

Ally stared at him for a moment. She could feel the stupidity sliding through the gaps of her teeth as she said, "Okay."

**. . . . . . **

"Keep this on," Austin said, handing her a balaclava. Ally pulled it over her face. Austin laughed slightly at the way she looked. He shook his head and pulled up his hoodie over his head. Ally tightened Austin's jacket around her shoulders. He had given it to her considering she didn't have anything totally dark to where for this. "They're away on vacation."

"How do you know that?" Ally questioned.

Austin smirked, "I've got sources."

"What if somebody sees us?" Ally said quickly.

Austin looked at her again, "We'll be fine. Just make sure you know where your gun is."

Ally nodded slowly, reaching to feel her gun in her jacket. She took a deep breath and nodded. She looked at Austin again as he got out of the car. Ally took another lungful of air and then got out of the car, too. She scurried behind Austin. It was the middle of the night, she doubted anybody would actually see them.

Austin guided their way towards a back window. He used a pocketknife to open the lock. He lifted the window and slowly crawled inside. He turned back and motioned for Ally to follow. He helped her through the window.

"This way," Austin whispered.

"If nobody's here, why are we whispering?" Ally questioned.

"Because there are always possibilities that they still are here." Austin said, smirking. Ally's eyes widened. Austin chuckled to himself and started through the house quietly and sneakily. Ally gulped and followed him.

Austin was sneaky. Ally just followed in his footsteps. She cringed everytime she heard the floor creak but Austin seemed to only take it as a challenge. He was enjoying this. She thinks she's only enjoying it because he is. She's growing fond of him. Austin glanced over his shoulder and she catches the mischief in his eyes and yep, she's definitely growing fond of him. She hopes she won't dream of kissing him tonight. She knows it's just because she's dying that she's allowing herself to feel this way. Unless the ache to touch him is a 'just because' kind of thing.

"Do you even know if they have a safe?" Ally whispered.

"Oh, They have a safe. All rich people do." Austin said. Ally nodded slowly. Not like she would know. Her family has struggled with money her whole life and sometimes she felt like it was her fault because all the money went towards her health care.

Austin travels up the stairs. It's hard to tell if anybody's home. It's quiet but Ally finds that when you're nervous, you're ears and eyes will play tricks on you and you'll think you hear or see something that you actually don't. They're half way up the hallway when the sound of the front door opening fills their ears. Ally looks at Austin to see if he heard it and by the look on his face, yeah, he heard it.

Her eyes fill with panic, "Austin, We have to get out of here!" she whispers, as the sound of voices fill the house. Their seems to be a disagreement being discussed but neither Ally or Austin pay attention to it.

"Shh," Austin said, grabbing her arm and forcing her to stay close to him. "We have to hide."

"We have to get-"

He pressed his palms onto her lips and looks into her eyes, silently telling her to calm the hell down. "We have to hide." he repeats. She decides to trust him. Her heart pounds and she prays to God that this isn't what kills her. She wanted to die reckless, not afraid. But who's there to fool? She's dying, she has a reason to be afraid.

Ally follows him up the rest of the stairs. There is movement by the kitchen so Austin knows they have time to spare while the couple entertains themselves with food. He opens the door to a room and prays a child isn't sleeping in this room, a teen, maybe a grandparent or parent. There's a bed but it's vacant and made neatly. Austin nods his head at Ally to go in. She follows him in, hot on his tail because there is no way she's getting caught alone.

Austin sees the safe by the wall. He smirks at Ally. She shakes her head and slaps his side. The safe could wait, could it not?! He shoves her off towards a walk in closet and Ally hears the patter of footsteps so she doesn't argue and tosses herself into the closet and she doesn't know what happens with Austin when the door opens.

The footsteps are light and there's an angelic humming coming from a woman. "Mark," she calls, "Mark, the safe is gone.." her voice is confused but then it becomes urgent with fear. "Mark!" she calls again. Ally squeezes her eyes shut tightly and listens to louder footsteps come into the room.

"How can it just be gone?" questions 'Mark', "Call the cops. We were robbed. These damn teenagers. I am changing the locks on this house!" he declares, sounding stressed and angry. Ally waits until the footsteps are gone but she's too afraid to come out of the closet.

Three minutes go by and then door comes swinging open. She stares ahead in fear and immediately relaxes when it's Austin pulling her out of the closet. "Let's go," he whispers. He grabs her arm and takes her out the window. Austin's holding the heavy safe in his hands, he staggers.

"Leave the damn safe!" she whisper-shouts.

"No!" Austin snaps, "I came here for the safe, I got the safe! Let's go!" he said. They're standing on the roof, trying to find a way to get down. Austin knows he's going to have to jump and he hopes he doesn't break his foot. He jumps from the roof and lands on the ground. He bites his tongue, trying not to exclaim in pain.

"Ally!" Austin semi-shouts, he hopes nobody heard. "Ally! Jump!"

She's staring at him with wide eyes. He actually jumped from the roof to the ground and now he wants her, too? Definitely not. She can't. No, that kind of thing might kill her. In two different ways: Her heart could beat so excessively fast from adrenaline maybe or there's the fact that she'll break her neck and die.

There's police sirens. Austin beckons her with wide eyes. She shakes her head. He's staring at her with snide eyes. He's angry at her. Why can't she just listen to him? He doesn't know what else to do so he runs. Ally watches with wide eyes. He's just going to leave her?!

He jumps in his car with the safe and he takes off, but only to a spot where he's hidden and can still see her. If it were anybody else, he would've fled without a hesitation, but it's Ally and he just can't find it in him to leave her. He watches her. She crawls upwards on the roof until she's invisible to the police car that stops in front of the house. Austin holds his breath, so does Ally.

She's not afraid of heights but her stomach is flopping and her heart is jumping. Austin starts biting his finger nails. He swore to himself that he wasn't going to let anything bad happen to her because she's his only apprentice that he's ever had and he knows she'll be the only one he'll ever like. He wasn't much of a teacher but partnering up with Ally seemed like the best event in his life. She was great company and kept him entertained and somewhat happy with his life. It was great feeling like he was the boss, like he was in control, he was the authority, but she was also so innocent while being so reckless that he loved watching her. It sounded odd but it was the truth.

If the cops hadn't of been there, he would've ran back and got her. He watches her as she looks around her surroundings. The police are inside the house and he can see them moving past windows, looking around and trying to figure out what happened. Then it's quick: Ally crawls along the roof (carefully and subtly), she makes it to the side of the house. The side with no windows. There is a vine that has grown along the side of the house. She swings down and her feet catch the vine and she maneuvers herself onto it. She slowly creeps down the vine.

Austin smiles slightly, "Smart girl." he whispered to himself. It was vastly amusing. She stays along the side of the house and looks around. She's cautious about her surroundings and she dashes out. It's quick like a fox and sneaky like a cat. He's sure nobody sees her and she sprints down the back alley. Austin shifts his car into drive and tears off after her.

Ally didn't know what happened, but after so much heart-pounding, all that swinging, that dropping, that running, she can't go anymore. Her heart pounds so hard it feels like somebody is slamming a rock against her ribcage. She feels short of breath and she's ultimately tired. She can't move anymore. She stops in place. She wants to fall down but she's still got enough strength to stand still. She's in terror when she hears wheels rubbing across gravel but she relaxes when she sees it Austin. She was relieved that he hadn't ditched out on her completely. She was still mad that he left her at the house by herself though.

He stopped the car and frowns as she staggers to the door as if she'd been stabbed a hundred times. She drops herself into the car. Her breathing is heavy, heavier than it should be but he doesn't question it. He laughs at her instead. It's amusing how unfit she is. Of course, to what he thinks is unfit, is actually her heart failing to pump like it should.

"I hate you." she growls.

"That was good!" Austin smirks at her, reaching over and ruffling her hair as he takes off into the night with full speed. Ally shakes her head.

"I can't believe you left me." she grumbles.

"I didn't leave you. I got out of sight." he said. "You wouldn't jump. If you would've jumped, we could've got away without all that nail-biting stuff." Ally rolled her eyes. "Come on, admit it, you thought it was fun."

She tried to frown but her lips curl anyways because now that she thinks about it. She's never had anything that reckless. Not even holding a gun made her feel like she did sitting on that roof. She crosses her arms and still says, "I don't want to do that kind of conning with you."

"Leave that to the expert, huh?" he smirks at her. She's so exhausted and she knows now that she's definitely hit stage two. She's even closer to dying and she knows it's happening faster than it probably should have because of the lifestyle she's chosen to spend her last moments on. She's dizzy, too, and she just wants to sleep.

"Let's go for a drive." Ally suggests breathlessly. She knows she doesn't have it in her to get out of the car and walk up a flight of stairs. She can't tell Austin about her condition because he'd probably find her parents and send her back to them and she didn't want that. She liked it here with him. Somehow, it felt like home. She liked that.

"A drive?" Austin echoed. She nodded. He shrugged. He didn't mind driving. He liked to think when he drove. "Fine." he agreed. Ally's relieved. That way if she falls asleep in the car, he won't notice how unusually fatigued she is. She closes her eyes slowly and drifts off into a sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Ally glanced over her shoulder at him. He glanced back at her before looking away, casually sinking his hands into his pockets. He waited around for the right moment and the right moment would be when this accountant had his back turned. Robbing a bank had never been on Ally's list of recklessness but somehow she was willing. Maybe it was because she could feel her blood pulsing through her veins or maybe it was because Austin promised he'd make it worth it.

Ally was glancing around. There was a boy, who was perhaps a couple years younger than she was, letting his eyes roam along her curvature figure and she was personally excited to see the look on his face when he found himself staring at the biggest plot twist ever: the cute girl in the leather jacket was in on a robbery.

Austin had found himself enjoying these robberies better than the days of conning the rich women. Ally made this job easy. Maybe if Ally hadn't came along he would never have had the opportunity to rob a bank. His last bank robbery was a couple years back with a friend of his. Austin didn't treasure friendship; the guy who he'd teamed up with for that bank robbery was imprisoned meanwhile Austin escaped and never even felt bad for leaving his friend behind. There was a different connection between him and Ally, though. She might be a newbie, she might totally wreck everything for him, but there was something different. Everything, all the conning, seemed more fun with her. He really enjoyed having her around.

She was good at this, too. Better than he assumed she'd be. He expected her to cry sorrowfully during robberies but instead she just always found things to work on. She had learned how to square her shoulders broadly and smirk. God, that smirk was Austin's favourite thing. He found himself loving it and he mentally kicked himself because he could feel the attachment growing but she made adrenaline rush so fast in his veins that he didn't care. He'd thought about shooing her away once or twice but could never bring himself to do it.

Here it is: The moment they'd been waiting for. Ally was standing at the back of the line, shifting her weight from one foot to the other when she saw Austin give her a sharp glance. She felt her bones strengthen and she slowly reached for the gun hiding in the waist of her denim shorts. The accountant at the till turned his back, Ally hardly registered what Austin was going to do when she heard the gun shot.

Hysterical customers were crying out and ducking their heads. The accountant had turned around suddenly, gasping as he looked wide eyed at Austin who was holding his gun in the air. Ally figured it was a signature thing to shoot at the roof for the attention.

"Attention whore," she muttered to herself, whipping out her gun and aiming it at everyone. A wry smile twisted on her lips when her eyes found the boy who was checking her out earlier. He looked mortified. Her job was to guard the door. She made sure nobody was moving as Austin began his taunting, i'm-gonna-scare-the-shit-out-of-you speech. She wondered how they were going to pull off a two-man robbery but Austin told her the funnest part was that neither of them knew if it was even going to work. And funnest wasn't even a word. Maybe that's why it sounded more thrilling.

Austin had given her a paper clip and she used her intellectual skills to mess with the door locks. Suddenly, they were all locked up from the inside. You can't come in, and you can't get out. Ally forgot to ask Austin who they would leave once they had the money. Austin would've probably just smirked anyways.

She turned back to Austin who was demanding the accountant for money. The accountant opened all cash registers with shaky hands. The other accountants watched with gawking mouths, not uttering a thing. Austin was filling a garbage bag with cash. He glanced over at Ally who was still looking around the room, pointing her gun, silently daring anybody to call the police. He wondered if her gun was even loaded because although she's got great acting skills, sometimes he could see that she was still a goody-two-shoes, he wondered if she still got nervous. He figured she didn't because there was always this lively look in her eyes when they conned or robbed.

Ally wasn't even sure how he did it but soon enough, after a lot of demanding and horrific silence that made Ally feel like the world was going to crack under her feet, Austin came running out of a room with the garbage bag practically ripping because of the weight of money. He shot a bullet at the window and it shattered, alarms sounding loudly.

"Let's go!" Austin hollered at Ally, his hand grabbing her elbow like he thought maybe she would freeze. She ran out of the building with him, picking up scraps of money that came flying out of the bag. She heard the gasps from stranger's on Miami's streets that were horrified as they witnessed robbers leaving the bank.

Police sirens sounded too close for Ally's liking but when she glanced over at Austin and saw his lips curled slightly, she started to laugh. Ally's never thought of her laugh as contagious but it must of been because Austin suddenly starts cackling, too. They toss themselves in Austin's vehicle and Austin tears off down the streets. In the rear view mirror is the image of a cop car chasing them.

"Go!" Ally shouts and despite the urgency in her tone, she's grinning as she looks over her shoulder at the cop chasing them. He gets accompanied by two other cop cars but Austin must've taken one rad driving class to know how to drive like this. He's swerving, tires squealing on the pavement, Ally smells burning rubber. Austin loses them to the dust on the road and suddenly they're driving in silence. Austin has taken them out of the city considering there was no way they could've gotten to the apartment without being caught by the po-po.

Ally released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, relaxing against the seat. Austin glanced at her and for a moment he thought maybe she'd been stressed out but she's smiling, eyes closed. She starts to laugh again and Austin joins in.

"I didn't think that was going to work," Austin voiced. Ally looked at him. "I actually thought, to the deepest part of me, that we were fucked."

Ally laughed slightly. "I guess we'll never be out of luck." she said. She glanced at his face again. "I'm pretty sure you're the only one crazy enough to do something like this."

"The only one?" he questioned, "You joined me."

Ally smiled slightly and giggled. She tossed the wad of cash in her hands to the backseat, listening to the paper flutter on the seats. Austin placed a cigarette in his mouth. Ally knew immediately what he wanted from her. She reached into the glove box and grabbed a lighter. She lit the cigarette, her other hand cupping around it until it was finally lit. Austin took a long drag before he let the smoke spill out his lips.

"You're good." Austin said, a crooked grin on his lips as he looked at Ally. "I thought you'd chicken out and go back home a long time ago, but you didn't. I wonder what made you crazy enough to do this with me."

_When you're dying, you'll do anything just to live. _"I guess it's always been in me." Ally smirked. Austin laughed slightly and he takes her by surprise because he grabs her hand. He's known her for exactly eight weeks now, she's been counting, and for some reason it didn't seem odd that she felt so alive, so safe with him. She gripped his hand back and maybe he felt the electricity run through his body, too.

"Want to celebrate?" Austin questioned, his lips curling crookedly. Ally looked at him in confusion. He smirked at her once again and pulled into a parking lot. Her hand felt cold when he released it. He jumped out of the car and she followed suit. It's like he forgot they have stolen money in the car as he walks down an alley.

Ally catches up with him and he swings his arm around her shoulder, keeping her along his side. His steps are bigger, more wild, excited. She returns some amount of affection, wrapping her arm around his back and keeping close to him. She sees a door that looks like it leads into a bar but when he opens it, the room is quiet besides the chattering of voices.

He leads her up the staircase and then she feels a vibration of thick music. "Don't get scared now," he teases but when she gives him an odd look, he swings the door open and it really is a celebration. She sees everything: Dancing, singing, drinking, smoking, grinding, gambling. Austin seems to think it's great so she tries to think it, too.

Austin reaches over a table and grabs two large bottles of Whiskey. He twists off the cap and takes a large gulp. He arches his eye brows at her. She glances down at the bottle and then takes a large gulp herself. Austin grins at her and there's something like a fire in his eyes. He's looking at her differently now. There was something she did at the bank that must've made him think she was magical because he was staring at her the way a child would stare at the real-life Cinderella or Prince Charming.

Her insides are jumping, but not in a scared way, it's in an excited way. Suddenly, Austin is shoved into her but before he can apologize, a hand grabs the back of his shirt to straighten him out. Austin looks over and his face splits into a wide grin. "Monte!" he yelled, they form a man hug and Ally stands there awkwardly.

"What are... you doing...here, man?" Monte slurred, his breath stinging with marijuana and Rum. Austin swings his arm around Ally again and Ally gets this weird feeling. She didn't like it. But then she loved it. It was like she was Austin's possession, something she never liked in a man, but found it was something she loved in Austin.

Austin gulped down more of the Whiskey's contents. He pointed at Ally. Monte looked her up and down. Ally hardly felt violated because Monte didn't seem so scary, well not scary next to Austin. She reckoned Austin would knock him out if he did anything. Austin had become her best friend recently.

Monte looked at Austin, "She your girl?" he asked, gulping more Rum.

Austin shook his head, "No," he grimaced like it was awful that he would ask such a thing. Ally felt a little bit offended. But although he's just clarified that Ally was, in fact, not his, nobody would dare to mess with Ally because there was an obvious statement in Austin's face that silently told people to back away from her.

Ally didn't like the booming music. She wasn't one for loud places. When Monte has staggered off before even finishing his conversation with Austin, Ally presses her hands up against Austin's chest. "Let's leave-"

"We just got here!" Austin shrieked, throwing his empty whiskey bottle across the room. Ally figures it must've shattered somewhere but neither of them care. "Drink this!" Austin encouraged, pushing the whiskey bottle to her lips. He grinned like a little boy as he watched her drown the contents into her stomach. She shook her head, eyes watering. Austin laughed half-heartedly. "Come here," he said, dragging her towards a hallway.

She breathed in the smell of cigarette smoke because it smelt like Austin. Why dream of smelling him when he was right there? She buries herself under his arm and presses her face into his side, breathing him in. He was so dangerous to be around but she felt the safest with him. How odd. But as she does this, he tightens his grip around her.

He pulled her into a room to where she thinks something might happen but he holds up a bag of something. It's weed. She's sworn to never take drugs but his eyes are persuasive and she doesn't even shake her head as she grabs it. He can see it in her face that she's willing to do it but doesn't know how. His smile isn't so sinister anymore, it's soft and Ally swears it's maybe loving but she knows it's her eyes playing tricks on her. She doesn't realize how much he is really loving her as an apprentice. He's loving it too much. He knows this isn't right, that she could ditch out on him and leave him broken to bits just like his mother did, but he doesn't seem to care. Not anymore. His motto is to never think, just do. Enjoy life.

He assists Ally and they do the joint together, sitting down on the floor, leaning against the wall. He's sitting extremely close to her and her arm is practically linked with his. She giggles hysterically. She feels like she's floating and she's never felt so carefree before. She doesn't even care that she is damaging her heart and making it die faster. She really likes this.

"How'd you find me?" Austin questioned her and maybe it's the weed in his system, but he buries his face into her shoulder. He is acting too friendly to actually mean that disgusted face when asked about Ally being his girl because he does treat her like she's his girl. She wouldn't mind being his girl.

"I thought being a badass was having a drink," she giggled again, "You, on the other hand, actually knew what it meant to live. I didn't. I guess you just caught my eye." she said. Austin cackled, nodding his head. He breathes her in and finds his veins cracking for the want of more of her.

Ally coughs and it comes in a fit. She knows it's from her heart but she dismisses it for the weed and Austin just laughs. He moves his head away from her shoulder and pulls her onto him instead. She sits in front of him, legs on either side of his waist. Her face is inches from his. He stares into her eyes, looks at her cracking lips, and then back to her eyes. "You're really kinda beautiful." Austin muttered, his fingers touching the part in her hair.

"I know." she smirks at him and he returns the smirk. She covers her mouth with her palm, coughing again. Austin's eye brows furrow and maybe it's the high wearing off, but he thinks that her coughing is a little bit more violent than what could be produced from weed.

"You're getting a cold." he says.

"I guess I am." but her smile wobbled.

"What's wrong, Ally?" he whispered, his fingers brushing along her cheek.

She whispers, "A lot of things." He doesn't question her any further because it's her personal life and he thinks maybe she's got a dead beat dad, a crummy best friend, maybe some man broke her heart, he wonders about a euthanized pet, or abusive parents. He doesn't wonder about a failing heart.

"I want to take that away," he whispers against her lips, the proximity between them pretty much closed. She shakes her head and he frowns. He didn't like that answer. He wants to kiss her. She stares at him for a while. "Just once, baby." And she's always sworn to hate that nickname but it sounds great from his lips.

"Just once?" she echoed, scoffing. Austin frowned again, pushing her away slightly. "We're not even sane right now."

His crooked grin returns, "That's the best part."

"Maybe it is," she whispers, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his head closer. His arms snake around her waist, keeping her face close to his face.

"We're just really good friends." Austin told her. She nodded. It was simple and quick. His lips were on hers, his fingers dancing up her shirt and grazing her spine lightly in soothing, circular motions. She pulls away for a moment for one corner of her mouth to twitch upwards and then she kisses him again. He becomes hers entirely with no clothes on, no strings attached, on that cold floor. They're hardly sane with weed, cigarette smoke and whiskey attacking their insides but they don't care.

**. . . . . . . . **

"Als," the pair of lips whisper right into her ear drum. Her lips curl upwards slightly but she doesn't open her eyes. "Als, we gotta get out of here." It's a little bit more urgent. She frowns and slowly cracks her eye lids open. Austin is above her, his pants and shirt on.

"What?" her voice is hoarse and her body hurts. God, she won't be able to move, how is she supposed to leave?

"The police are here." he said. His tone is different from last night. Of course everything had washed out of his system. Ally feels a little bit stupid, but doesn't let his authoritive, cold tone inject venom into her heart. Her already dying, failing heart. She didn't have enough time to waste on boys who didn't care. Austin was one of those boys. Though last night, she felt like he did care. Was she wrong? Maybe she had hallucinated his eyes looking at her like she was magic.

"Get up," he spat her as she still laid there. He wasn't looking at her. She grabbed her shirt and pulled it on and tugged up her denim shorts. She was sore. So sore. She ran her fingers through her hair. She felt like she needed a shower. "Let's go through the window, come on."

He jumps out the window without even waiting. She frowns but her eyes widened when she hears the sound of voices and footsteps. She ignores the pain running through her body because obviously Austin doesn't take things easy, _if you understand what that means._

She jumps down from the small balcony and follows Austin down the alley to the car. She hardly has the door shut when he zooms off. She grips the door handle. "Whoa, What the hell, Austin? What's wrong?" she questioned. He's gripping the wheel unnecessarily tight.

"Shut up for a minute, Ally," he snaps. His eyes glance in the mirror but there's nothing behind them. Why is he so angry? Ally glances over her shoulder and all the money is still there so it couldn't be that. She sits there and her face pales. It was her. She must've done something last night.

"Can you tell me what you're so upset about?" Ally questioned.

Austin ignored her. In fact, he ignored her for an entire half hour before he finally cracked in the silence. His grip tightened on the wheel even more. Ally wondered if he was going to break the wheel in half. "You didn't tell me you were a virgin."

Ally was alarmed at first then embarrassed then confused. "What?" she asked.

"You," he gave her an intense look, "never told me you were a virgin."

"So?" she questioned, eyes shifting. She didn't understand what this was about. Yeah, she'd been a virgin before this. Yeah, she lost it to Austin. Why is there a tension here?

"It's not just 'So?'!" Austin growled with venom in his voice.

"What's the problem?" Ally asked exasperatedly, "Why do you care? Why would I have to tell you anything? It's personal stuff. I don't just randomly blurt out my sex life to strangers."

"I'm not a stranger," he hissed.

"I don't even share it with friends."

He was quiet for a moment, "You're so stupid." he said. Ally looked at him, offended. What was his problem?! "I shouldn't have let you come with me. You're going to take your stuff and get the hell out of my life, okay?" He couldn't believe he just said that but it's not like he could take it back.

"What?! Austin, what the hell is wrong with you?" Ally exclaimed. Austin kept his eyes focused on the road. "Is this seriously because I didn't tell you I was a virgin? That's fucking stupid! Talk about over-sensitive!"

"I'm not being over-sensitive, Ally!" he howled at her, "You were a virgin and I took that from you! You're not even fit for this life! You were raised as a good kid and you will always be a good kid! I was raised this way! My Dad was a conman and so I grew to be a conman! You weren't. You were never supposed to be this way, okay?"

"Well, I like doing this-"

"I don't give a shit, Ally! Nobody does or ever will! Go back home!" Austin shouted.

Ally stared at the road ahead of her for a while before slowly looking at Austin and taking in what he said. "Wait, Wait...You're mad because you took away my virginity?" Ally questioned. The topic made her squeamish but it needed to be said. "That's fucked up. It's not like you raped me, I gave it up willingly!"

"You weren't in the right state of mind. You didn't know what you were doing." Austin said firmly.

"That doesn't matter, I still gave it up willingly-"

"-It does matter, Ally! Nobody is a virgin for this long unless they're saving it for something!" Austin exclaimed.

"That's not fucking true!" Ally shouted, "I just never had anyone, ever! You're pretty much the only guy I've ever had in my life who isn't my family."

"So, technically, if you knew more guys, you'd screw them, too?" Austin replied caustically.

"No! God, Austin! Why are you acting like this?" Ally questioned.

"Forget it, Ally." Austin grunted.

"No, tell me why!" Ally demanded.

"I told you why!" Austin retorted.

"But it was the stupidest fucking reason!" Ally shrieked. Austin ignored her. He bit on his tongue and forced her voice to go through one ear and out the other. At a certain level of Austin ignoring her, she quit talking. She crossed her arms and dreaded getting back to the apartment. She didn't want to leave. Austin was the only person who was answering her wish of living and he just wanted to throw it away. She needs this life. She needs it to feel satisfied, to feel like she accomplished something.

"I don't see why all of this is so damn important to you." Austin muttered then slammed his car door shut and marched up through the apartment. Ally rolled her eyes and followed him up. She ignored the trail of money he left behind as he carried the bag of money to his apartment.

Ally opened the door. She looked around the place. It had become home. There was no way Austin could force her to leave. Suddenly, Austin dropped a stack of her clothes on the floor. "Leave." he demanded.

"No." Ally said stubbornly. She glanced at the clothes he kept dropping on the floor. "Stop throwing my clothes on the floor, you'll just have to pick them up."

"You're leaving, Ally." Austin said sternly. Ally shook her head. "Get the fuck out, Ally, I'm serious!"

Ally looked up at him and her heart dropped. He was serious. Dead serious. "Austin, come on, think about this." Ally said.

"I did." he spat.

Ally glared at him. So, this is what her parents meant what they said _boys like to use girls for sex_. "Fine," she caved, "But I was serious. You are going to have to pick up those clothes. I don't want them."

Austin scoffed, "So, you're just gonna walk around in that?" he questioned. Ally nodded, looking down at her denim shorts, white t-shirt, and leather jacket. "At least put some jeans on."

Ally smirked, "No."

"Ally," Austin growled.

"You're kicking me out, technically you can't tell me what to do. I'm just a stranger now. We don't boss strangers around." Ally said.

"Ally," Austin's teeth were gritted now.

"Ta-ta," Ally said humorously, giving him an angered look and then leaving his apartment with a slam of the door. Austin told himself it was better that she was gone. He was better at working alone anyway. Even if he had enjoyed her apprenticeship.

Ally wandered out of the apartment. The air felt colder than it used to but she told herself to grow a backbone and she stiffened her muscles. She was still in pain from last night but forced herself to walk like she owned the whole world. She rolled her eyes.

She already missed Austin's presence. Somehow it always comforted her. It made her forget that she was dying. She then realized something: She was dying, that meant there was no way she was quitting just because Austin wasn't around. She clenched her fists and headed down the alley. She asked about any bars and then smirked when they led her towards one.


	7. Chapter 7

Yeah, he regrets it. He's laying down on the couch. Just four days without her. Four effing days of her being gone and it's awful. He's never had a girl in his life that has taken over his mind every minute and he thought it was desperate and ridiculous.

"God," he grumbled to himself, running his fingers through his hair. He might've been drunk and high that night but he could still feel her lips on his and he wanted to feel it again. He wondered if she made it home okay, or maybe even just to a hotel. He thought about whether she might've stayed in Miami, walked out of Miami, maybe hitched-hiked out of Miami.

He tried to find a rich girl to con because maybe her kisses would be better than Ally's but he was so distracted by the thought of Ally that his charm was gone. He could hardly get a rich girl to look at him for more than ten seconds.

He knows he shouldn't have kicked her out. It was stupid. He knew he must've confused her, having sex with her and then kicking her out - oh, god, he never thought of it like that. He was angry that he took away her virginity. She needed somebody who would give her a life and Austin most definitely wouldn't. He should've never let her come with him. He was stupid to let her persuade him into letting her join him. She was too innocent for this lifestyle, how dare he bring her down. Austin shook his head and took another gulp of his drink. Why does he care? Yeah, Ally had become something like a best friend but best friend's aren't supposed to care as much as he did. Why the hell did it matter if she got home safe or whether he slept with her than kicked her out? Generally, that's how he operates. Of course, Ally didn't leave him any money. For some reason, he didn't mind - she wasn't rich anyways.

He runs his fingers through his hair, random pieces sticking up every which way. There is a knock on the door and he stumbles towards it, the drink having an effect on his body. He didn't know he drank that much. Oh, what a surprise, his mind has been so preoccupied with Ally, he didn't keep track of how much he was drinking.

He opened the door, another gulp of his drink as he leaned against the door frame with one arm above his head. "Yeah?" he lets out.

"Whoa, Austin," a red-haired boys eyes are bugging out of his skull, increasing the pieces of blue in his eyes, "Who pissed on your parade?" he yanks the beer out of Austin's hand.

Austin fights for the drink like a five-year-old who had just gotten a lollipop swiped from his hands. "Dez," growls Austin, reaching for it, "I wasn't finished."

Dez peers inside the apartment, "Yeah, your one-hundredth beer." Dez said, over-exaggeratedly but Dez almost thinks that wasn't an exaggeration as he looks at the beer bottles on the floor. He hadn't seen his best friend much lately since Austin had informed him that he had an apprentice. Dez wondered where this apprentice was and why Austin was drinking like this. Despite his horrific conning ways, Austin was responsible when it came to drinking. He knew the limits. (Maybe he shouldn't use responsible considering Austin's reputation, but it gets his point across.)

Austin almost had it but Dez carelessly tossed it on the ground. The contents spilled out of the bottle. Austin sneered at Dez and went to shut the door. Dez slapped his foot forward. "I'm coming in." Dez said, shoving his way past Austin. Austin grunted in annoyance. He didn't want company.

"Dez, out," Austin hissed.

"_Woof_." Dez muttered sarcastically to his best pal. Austin shook his head.

"Dez." his voice was more urgent, more serious. He did not want company and Dez knew something was different about Austin. Dez shut the apartment door behind him. He turned to Austin and eyed his appearance; angry eyes, disheveled hair, swaying figure.

"What happened, Aust?" Dez quizzed, arching his eye brows. Austin cringed at the nickname. Dez grimaced. It didn't matter how many times Austin requested not to be called by that nickname, Dez always seemed to forget.

"Nothing." Austin said, his words sliding through his teeth in an irritated tone.

Dez looked around the room, "Where's your _apprentice_?" Dez questioned, his eye brows lifting a little bit higher as he sent Austin a questioning look.

Austin grunted and through himself on his half-broken couch. "Stop," Austin mumbled, rubbing his face with his palms. His head was throbbing from the thought of her and as if thinking about her wasn't enough, Dez needed to bring her up.

"You kicked him out, didn't you?" Dez questioned, noticing clothes on the floor probably from where Austin had dumped them when forcing his apprentice out of the house.

"_Her_," Austin corrected, "And Yes, I did. She was a handful, a rookie, I didn't have time for it. She was a pain in the ass and this job is important. She was fucking it up." Actually, she made it more enjoyable than it's ever been.

"You hired a girl?" Dez questioned, astonished.

"She wasn't my employee, Dez," Austin groaned as if talking to Dez was too much on his brain. "She was interested in my con art. She claimed she was never one but...but she was. She was with me." Austin explained, "She was a pain in the ass though. Pain in the asses have to go."

"Was she a pain in the ass or were you just threatened?" Dez asked.

Austin pulled his hands away from his face and eyed Dez, "huh?"

"You heard me: Was she a pain in the ass or were you just threatened? After all, it was a girl and you and I both know how you feel towards women." Dez said, "_They're great for a good time_." Dez quoted Austin's once used words.

Austin had a change of heart towards his "annoying" apprentice, "Don't talk about her like that," he growled at Dez. Dez arched a quizzical brow. "That was before. Ally wasn't a good time - she was learning how to con and I was a fantastic teacher. She later discovered that this life was not for her and she ditched out."

"I thought you kicked her out?"

"I did." Austin said. His thoughts were scrambling. "I did - I mean, I did kick her out but she didn't belong her either, so it's not entirely my fault. Besides, she has no self-worth and why the hell would I want anything to do with a girl like that?"

"You always deal with girls like that-"

"Dez." Austin hissed.

"You felt something, didn't you?" Dez's lips twist into a smirk, "She was supposed to be your apprentice but something...sparked." Dez's smirk became more sly.

"No...No, of course not," Austin shook his head. Dez eyed him. "It wasn't like that, Dez. She was a friend. I mean it. There wasn't...There wasn't anything...between us." Austin said, trying to drift his thoughts away from that night a couple weeks ago.

"How long's she been out?" Dez questioned.

Austin groaned suddenly, not being able to hold it in his throat. "2 weeks." Dez watched Austin. "I think...I think she's back home. I think she got to Indiana. Maybe she called her family and apologized. Maybe she went to work...Maybe she's in a hotel. I think she's in a hotel. I hope she's in a hotel. There's no way in hell she went anywhere without me."

Dez could see Austin's slight grief. He missed her and it was obvious. But Dez didn't feel bad, he thought it was funny. Austin was not a clingy guy, so the fact that Austin was missing her was something special, she was something special. Dez wanted to meet her. "What was her name?"

'Ally." Austin replied, a slight smile curving his lips before he quickly peeled it off his face and remained stone-eyed.

"Ally?" Dez blinked, echoing the name. He recognized it.

"Yeah...Ally. Nice name. I told her I hated it." Austin said, talking to himself more so than Dez, "Why did I tell her that? I like her name. It sounds...I don't know, it fits her."

"Ally..." Dez repeated, his thoughts racing. Why did he recognize the name? Austin pulled himself out of his thought about her _pretty _name and came back to reality where he focused on Dez.

"What?" Austin wondered.

"I just...What did she look like?" Dez wondered out loud.

"Oh," Austin sat up, eyes getting slightly wider as he recalled her features, "She had this pale skin, but it wasn't ugly, it was perfect...kinda like...I don't know, it was nice though. Her eyes were really big and brown. She has thin lips and they kind of taste like pomegranate but I think that was her chapstick or something," Austin explained, not adding how he knew what her lips tasted like, "She was a brunette. Her hair reached the top of her ribcage and it's usually wavy, oh and-"

"-Shit."

"She also-" Austin cut himself off and looked at Dez with a frown, "What?"

He looked at Austin, "I, uh, I just...I, um, Ally was..."

Austin's eyes became curious, colder. "What is it, Dez?"

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He couldn't lie to his best friend. He lied to many people, but not the ones he respected. Austin happened to be in the list of people he respects. "I know her- Well, I've seen her anyways."

"What?" Austin questioned, his heart picked up slightly. That meant Ally didn't go home, Ally didn't stay in her hotel every day and every night. Ally was roaming Miami by herself. "How? Where? Why? When?"

"I've...I've been hanging out with her...Since...I think since you kicked her out..." Dez said slowly, scared for his own health as he saw Austin's eyes burn with fire, "I was...working behind the bar...She happened to be in the club. She sat down and we started talking a lot. She's been going to the club every night so far."

Austin stood up straight. Why did he feel so angry that Dez never mentioned this? It's not like he knew Ally was Austin's Ally. Ally's not even his, why refer to her that way? Austin's hands ball up into fists. "What do you mean every night? What could she possibly be doing at the club?"

Dez anxiously looked at Austin, giving him a look. Austin felt his entire body get hot. Oh no, no, no, no. Hell, no. Not his Ally.

**. . . . . **

"Johnson, I said no," Ally said, laughing lightly. Johnson smiled over at Ally. He shrugged and gulped the drink. Ally didn't like drinking apparently - actually, she did, but not around the people she didn't know. She didn't trust the club. She wondered why she kept coming here. Oh, that's right, she found her own groupie.

It was made of eight people. Johnson, Dallas, Elliott, Marc, Ethan, Tank, Sean, and Marty. Dallas was her age and was the quiet one of the little groupie but seemed to drink more than the entire bunch. He was good at holding the alcohol, too. They all seemed to adore Ally's presence, always requesting that she returns. They all took turns sloppily throwing their arms around Ally and trying to slip off her clothes but Ally was stubborn and never fell for it. They liked her stubbornness and found it like a challenge. Ally even admitted to herself that maybe she would sleep with one of them but whenever she came to the conclusion, all she could think about was STD's and then chose not to sleep with anyone. Unless they were Austin Moon. But She hates Austin Moon.

Sean was always out and about, only staying with the group for a couple minutes before exploring other women. Marc was awesome, he was careless and cheered on Sean when he went out to entertain women. Marty was sinister and mysterious, cranky but funny. Tank was big, solid, and intimidating. Ethan was tall, lanky, kind. Johnson was playful, teasing, and short. Elliott was...he was Elliott, no needed description, just kind of a moron. Ally kinda liked this group.

"Hey, Ally, I know you're into this whole...abstinent thing but just think...You and I...Alone...One room...No clothes-"

"It's too bad I already went for Marc..." Ally sighed dramatically, looking down in shame. Johnson looked at her, gawking.

"You what?!" he howled, "Marcus!" he shouted and suddenly dived into the crowd, looking for his new enemy. Ally smirked sinisterly and sunk into a couch.

"That was good," Tank said, grinning over at her. Ally nodded her head.

"Oh, Yes it was." she winked. She glanced at him and saw his had a troubled face. "What's up, Tank?"

He looked over at Ally. He sighed. "I don't know...I have a girl at home...Bonnie...She...She doesn't like me being here and I'm starting to feel bad." Tank explained, surprising Ally with his openness. "She's super faithful to me and I really like her but...but I've always partied. It's like she can't accept that."

"I'm sorry, Tank, if you're looking for relationship advice, you're asking the wrong person. I won't be able to say anything inspiring." Ally said. Tank laughed slightly. They were joined suddenly by Marc who was yelling at Johnson that he never did it with Ally but would gladly love to if Ally agreed. Ally then admitted to Johnson it was a joke. Johnson began teasing her again. Sean walked over and slumped against the floor, complaining that his body hurt from dancing. Marty walked over, quiet and mysterious. Ethan and Elliott marched over to Ally and demanded she told them who was sexier. Ally bit her lip and eyed them both. It was all for jokes but the two boys immediately got competitive and an argument was brewing. Dallas yanked Johnson out of the seat and sunk down next to Ally. He gave her a polite smile but Ally saw himself slipping out his quiet shell when he pressed his arm flush against hers. Ally laughed.

That was it; every night looked the same. The small group she'd dived in, claimed this side of the club on this couch. They were always surrounding her, their bodies in such a close proximity Ally thought she was suffocating but kinda liked it, too. Since she didn't have Austin, she needed something to keep her feeling secure. These guys did it for her. None of them noticed Ally was stealing their money. Just because Austin wasn't around, didn't mean she didn't know how to con/rob. He'd taught her so well and she felt like she wanted to carry on a little bit.

She often pressed her chest against theirs and then sunk her hands into their pockets. They never felt a thing. Austin was a great teacher. Marc handed her a beer and despite her not wanting to drink ever, she went for it this time. She took the beer and began to gulp it. It tasted like Austin's mouth and she hated that she always thought about it. It's been two damn weeks. It was time to get over the fact that he forced her out of the apartment all because she was a virgin. She didn't know why he got so mad. She felt slightly betrayed. He was supposed to be her really, really good friend. Good friends don't kick other good friends out because they're a little bit more inexperienced.

Her eyes caught two brown eyes. They weren't Dallas', or Marc's, not Tank's or Marty's. They were ferocious, frantically scraping around the club until the landed on hers. She recognized the blonde hair that seemed messier than normal. His jaw was set tightly and she recognized a boy who came in behind him. It was Dez. The bartender. She couldn't believe Austin was friends with Dez. She tried not to shake with anger at the sight of him. Her eyes narrowed on him and she took another gulp of her drink. He didn't move his eyes from hers either. Well, he did, just to look at all the boys she was surrounded by and she swears, a fire burns inside of them when Dallas leans over and whispers something into her ear. Ally smirks. She sees the rage set off inside Austin and she wonders why. It's not like he cared.

Austin was just standing there like a moron. Dez looked nervous, but Austin looked angry, peeved, boiled, furious, everything in the dictionary that meant angry. He was just standing there, staring at her and not trying to hide it. Ally gave him a sly look in her eyes, glanced around at the boys surrounding her and then looked at Austin with a wide smirk, head cocking to the side slightly. It was like her own universal language that said _jokes on you_. Austin understood it perfectly. His fists balled, his teeth gritted together.

Austin turns to look at Dez, "You didn't do anything? What's she been doing with them?"

"Just...I don't know, hanging out? They all just sort of sit over there and have a good time." Dez said. He grimaced. He should have worded that better. Austin got even angrier.

He was so angry that he marched right towards the couch. He yanked Ally up. This immediately received a roar from the guys surrounding her. Ally's eyes were big. She hadn't expected this confrontation from him. "What the f-"

"You stay away from her!" he growled at the eight guys. It was the tone in his voice that got, not only the guys to freeze, but Ally, too. It was possessive, demanding, and firm. His grip on her arm was uncomfortably tight on Ally's arm but she didn't squirm.

The eight boys, plus Dez, eyed Austin as he held Austin as he held Ally flush against him, gripping her like she was his life line. The eight boys around the couch, glanced at each other and their faces weren't exactly white but they weren't in original color either. Who was this guy holding Ally because it was obvious he knew her and curiosity of him being her boyfriend was growing. It made sense: She wouldn't dance too closely with the guys nor would she sleep with any of them.

Finally, Ally snaps into reality and tears her arm from Austin's snake-like grip. "Austin!" she scowled at him. Austin looked over at her and he was having a hard time keeping his breath under control. He wanted to throttle her.

"What the fuck are you doing, Ally?" he spat at her. When he noticed movement on the couch, he howled, "Don't move!"

Ally shoved him, "Stop talking to them like that!"

"Who the hell is this?" he questioned, swinging an arm out to gesture at their small audience of eight boys.

"They're my friends," she clenched her teeth, "And you're not."

Austin was about to bite her head off with another remark but he didn't like having anybody listening in. He glared at the boys and pushed Ally to the back of the club. It wasn't as private as he wanted but it was enough for the boys to not hear a word they were saying. "What are you doing?" he growled at her again.

"I'm having fun." she sneered.

"No, you're not. Not with them." he shook his head.

"What's your problem?" she barked at him, "You kicked me out, you're not even my friend, you can't tell me what I can and can't do."

"I'm not telling you that you can't be here or that you can't be with them-" he stopped himself and gave her a stern look, "Actually, Yes, I am. You're leaving."

"No, Austin, I'm not!" she pushed him. Austin backed her up against the wall, locking her there with his arms placed by both sides of her head.

"Ally, don't argue with me." he glowered down at her.

"What the hell, Austin? Stop acting like you own me! You're not my dad, you're not my boyfriend, you're not my friend! You have no say in what I do!" she snapped. She was right but Austin didn't care.

"You're not staying here. You're coming back with me." Austin said. He glanced over his shoulder and eyed the eight boys who were watching from afar, "I don't trust them."

"Yeah? Well, I do. It's you who I don't trust." she glared coldly up at him.

"Me?" he looked like he was just slapped five times, "How the hell can't you trust me? You lived with me for eight weeks! Eight fucking weeks! We conned together! I had your back for everything! Just because I kicked you out doesn't mean I'm not to be trusted. That's pitiful!"

Ally rolled her eyes at him, "Austin, move."

"No." Austin moved closer.

"Austin, stop," she pressed her arms on his body, trying to push him away, "You're going to smother me!"

"You're coming back with me-"

Suddenly, Austin was torn away from Ally. Ally's eyes widened when she saw Tank there. It happened quickly: Tank swung his arm and it connected with Austin's jaw. Ally swore she heard the crunch. Ally shrieked, pressing her palm against her mouth.

Austin was sprawled out on the floor. He swiped the back of his hand at his bleeding mouth and glared at Tank. Austin leaped onto his feet and swung back at Tank. Tank dodged it and connected his fist with Austin's stomach and then used his elbow to pierce Austin's spine. Ally's eyes widened even more. Tank straightened up a very-in-pain Austin and threw a couple more punches, his knuckles becoming painted with Austin's blood.

"Tank! Tank, stop!" Ally shrieked, "You're going to hurt him!"

Tank laughed slightly, "That's kind of the point." Tank swung again, "I hope that broke your nose." he growled at Austin whose face looked like a cherry pie now. Ally stared, eyes wide, palm over her mouth.

Austin laid on the ground, his face grimacing in pain. He could feel how battered his face was and knew it probably looked just as bad. Ally couldn't just stand around and gawk at his bloody face. She immediately got onto her knees and went for Austin.

Tank looked at her in confusion. Austin was just yelling at her and practically smothering her against the wall and now she's concerned about him? Tank was lost and angry. Austin glanced at Ally and laughed. Ally was caught off guard and frowned at him. "I like your friend." he said, his voice nearly gone from squeezing through the pain.

Dez was rubbing his face. Why couldn't Austin just be discrete like every other human being? He always caused a scene! He wouldn't be beaten up if he'd just been discrete!

Ally didn't care about his comment. She tossed her arms around Austin, his face pressing into her shoulder, staining her white shirt. He groaned and moved his head away from her shoulder. He pushed her away lightly and glared at Tank who was huffing.

Ally glanced over at Tank, "Why did you do that?" she asked him, her voice sounding slightly angry.

"Ally, he was being an ass! He was about to hurt you-"

Angry, Austin flipped up onto his feet, ignoring anything that stung, "Hurt her?" he suddenly shoved Tank back, "Who the fuck do you think I am? You're the one beating me up!" Tank tried not to swing at Austin again for the sake of Ally.

"You were trapping her in. Who the fuck does that-"

"I wasn't going to hurt her!" Austin barked at him, angrily. Tank shoved Austin, causing him to stumble.

"Get the hell out of my face!" he shouted. Austin stepped forward again but Ally was suddenly on her feet and caught his arm. Austin looked at Ally, he glanced down at her hand touching his arm and then to her face. He looked at Tank, flipping him off and stormed out of the club, ripping his arm out of Ally's hold. Ally suddenly felt cold. She nearly shivered.

She looked at Tank and he'd never seen her look so displeased before. She hesitated before following Austin. She needed to see if he was okay. She was sure Tank hurt him pretty bad and it was approved when she walked outside and saw him limping towards his car.

"Austin!" she called.

"Shit," Austin hissed under his breath. He glanced over his shoulder at Ally. He swiped at his mouth to stop the bleeding but it kept going. Ally caught up to him, grabbing his arm. "Ally, what the hell do you want?"

Ally frowned, "A second ago you were just telling me to go with you and now you're mad?" Ally questioned him, eye brows knit together.

Austin ignored her comment. "What do you want, Ally?"

"You're hurt." she said, gripping his arm tighter and forcing him to stop walking - or limping for that matter. Austin stopped, turning around to face her. He looked at her and just being able to see her face in front of him, not surrounded by eight guys, made him feel a little bit better.

"What have you been doing here for the last two weeks?" Austin questioned, "When I kicked you out, you were supposed to go back to your damn family not some groupie."

"They're actually good people, Austin..." she said softly, her thumb sweeping off some blood on his chin. Austin liked the feeling of her hands on his face but for the sake of pretending like he hated it, he moved his head away. She dropped her hand. "They're nice. Tank thought you were going to hurt me...He was just protecting me."

"He shouldn't protect you." Austin growled. He wasn't sure why he felt so jealous but it was practically burning a hole through his chest. Ally sighed. He avoided her eyes and instead, focused on the bloody spot on her shoulder from where his face had pressed on. "You're coming back with me."

"I'm not." Ally said. "You kicked me out. I'm not going back."

"Yes, you are." Austin growled, "You wanted reckless, I will give you fucking reckless."

"I'm better off without you around." Ally said, crossing her arms. It wasn't true. She felt safer when he was around and she knew it when she felt the aura of the room change when Austin walked in. She felt better, safer, less insecure.

"That's not fucking true," Austin hissed at her. "Don't fucking say that to me. You liked conning and I showed you a different side of you that you never knew was there. You feel alive because of me." Austin said. He was right. She did feel alive because of him but did that mean she needed to live with him again? Of course she wanted to but she wanted to be stubborn, she wanted to argue.

"What if I found that within myself?" she challenged.

"You didn't." Austin shook his head. Suddenly, he feel a little bit dizzy. He blinked a couple times.

Ally frowned. Her eyes widened when she noticed him starting to sway forward. "Austin?" she said. He pressed his hand on his head, frowning.

"What..." he grumbled, "I'm fine, I'm fine." he told her before he stumbled to the side. Ally caught him as he lost his balanced. He tried to stay standing by his light headedness was greater than all the strength he had left.

"Austin!" Ally said, panicked. "Austin, are you okay?" she asked him. He nodded before he was completely becoming depleted of strength. He collapsed forward, only being caught by Ally. His face was pressed into her shoulder, dirtying her shirt with his blood again. Her heart pounded nervously. "Austin?" she asked. Not even a groan this time. She could hardly hold him as he started to fall to the ground. She tried her hardest to hold him up but he was a heavy boy.

"Austin!"

Ally glanced over and saw Dez, "Dez! You have to help me! He...He just...He just fell, fainted, passed out! I don't know! What's wrong with him? We need to take him to the hospital! He needs-"

"Ally," Dez looked at her. She stopped babbling and looked at him. "You need to calm down. He hates hospitals, god forbid we'd take him there. Let's take him home. Grab his legs." Dez said. Ally nodded and did as Dez told her. She grabbed his legs and he grabbed Austin's torso. They lifted him into the car, setting an unconscious Austin into the backseat.

Ally glanced back at him, biting her bottom lip. She wondered what happened, she wondered if he was okay.


	8. Chapter 8

**For those who were very confused...there absolutely was a mix up with chapters. I wrote two chapters for you guys, but for some reason it didn't update properly. So chapter eight was updated into chapter seven and blah blah blah...But i've re-updated so go on and read chapter seven again and then move onto chapter 8 a.k.a this chapter...**

**I apologize. I had thought I posted two chapters, but obviously I hadn't...But things are okay again! I'm so sorry!**

Austin groaned lightly, his eyes opening. He glared at the light streaming through his curtains on the window. He felt comforted by the old smell of cigarette smoke coming somewhere in the building and pot from outside. He knew he was at his apartment.

"What the fuck?" Austin grumbled, taking the cloth and throwing it across the room. It slapped the wall and fell to the floor. Ally was sitting by the counter, tapping her fingers in patiently when she noticed the cloth go flying.

"Austin!" Ally gasped, joining him by the couch. He frowned slightly and looked at her.

"Ally-Ah..." he grunted, rubbing his head.

Ally got a guilty look on her face. "Tank gave you a concussion." It was flat, it was simple, it was like a dropped bomb without the exploding part.

"Son of a bitch, why am I always so fucked over?" Austin grumbled to himself. Ally giggled lightly. He looked at her as if he was just seeing her for the first time. "Hey." he said again.

"Hi," she whispered. Hesitantly, she reached out and touched his hair. Austin stared at her.

"You came back." Austin said, recalling how Ally claimed she wasn't coming back to the apartment. It felt cozier with her in it.

She looked at him, "I'm not staying. I just...stayed for a bit." she said. Austin gave her a confused look and she immediately knew what he wanted to know. "You...fainted when we were talking. Dez and I got you back here. You've been out for twelve hours. It's almost lunch time. You had a fever, too, hence the cloth on your head." she said. "Do you want pain killers?"

"That would be awesome." Austin said, rubbing his temples and cringing as he did so. Ally nodded and got up. He found that he was still in the same clothes from yesterday. He pulled out his phone from his pocket. The brightness of the screen made him cringe but he opened up his camera. He flinched at the sight of himself. His lip was split and he had cuts all over his cheeks from Tank's punches. He had a bruise on his cheek bone that made him look like maybe he broke the bone there but he knew there wasn't enough pain on his cheek for it to be a break. He's surprised he didn't lose any teeth from how hard Tank had been hitting him. Of course though, he was given a concussion according to Ally.

He moved his phone so the camera was on her. He watched her through his screen as the camera captured her moving around in the kitchen. He was fascinated by her, he got more intrigued in watching her when he realized she was wearing one of his sweatshirts and still in her shorts from last night. He watched her move around some more before he quickly shut off his phone when she headed towards him.

"Here," she said gently, handing him two pain killers and a water.

"I want beer with this." he said. Ally gave him a look. He grinned, "Kidding."

She watched him gulp down the pills, grimacing as he did so. She quickly looked away when he glanced at her. He laughed slightly. She stood up. "I need to go." she said.

His eyes widened, "What? No, Ally, you can't go. I need somebody here with me." he said. Really, he knew he could manage himself but Ally was here and he spent too much time missing her to let her go off again. After the Tank thing, she was not leaving this apartment. Not without him. He didn't trust this Tank guy.

Ally looked at him. Austin stared at her with big eyes. She didn't know he was so good at pouting. She sighed. "Fine," she muttered, lowering herself onto the ground again.

"Besides, you can't leave with my shirt on." he smirked at her.

Her face immediately got red. "I know I should have asked but you were knocked out still and I had your blood on my shirt. I didn't want to sit in that so I just went into your closet and-"

"It's fine, Ally." Austin said. "I'm okay with it." he told her, seriously. Ally looked at him and smiled slightly. He left out the part where he totally loved it. He liked her in his clothes. Austin tore his eyes away from her when he realized he was staring for longer than he should have.

"So...Do you want to explain to me what last night was about?" Ally questioned him, arching a brow.

"Whoa, hey, recovering from a concussion here. Let's not make my skull split." Austin said, sipping his water.

Ally sighed, "Austin, I'm serious. You were different."

"Well, I'm sorry that I saved your ass from being taken advantage of." Austin said, sarcastically. His face darkened suddenly. "You're fucking stupid, Ally. What is wrong with you? You know that the club is in no way a safe place! You should know that hanging out with a group of guys is completely and utterly stupid!"

"This is hilarious coming from you." Ally said, "You're the one who takes me conning with you, who lets me rob banks with you, who lets me fake my own identity, and yet, here you are, lecturing me about hanging out with a group of guys."

"I'm serious, Ally."

"So am I."

Austin narrowed his eyes at her, "It seemed you chose good friends, though. Beating up people who are just trying to keep you safe."

Ally sighed, "He's actually a great guy. You just made him feel threatened. You were a little bit ridiculous last night."

"I was not being ridiculous!" Austin roared, sitting up suddenly. He grabbed his head for a moment but didn't let the pain control him. He kept his eyes narrowed on Ally, but his intimidation was lessened due to how beat up his face was.

"Austin, you kicked me out and then randomly showed up and told me I couldn't hang out with the people I'd become friends with!" Ally replied, wild-eyed.

"You don't know even know them!"

"That was the best part!" Ally shrieked, "I didn't have to know them! We just hung out at the club. We didn't need to know about each other's personal life, work life, past life, nothing! It was just...random people getting together on late night's for a time to let loose!"

Austin thought he was going to burst a vein, "That's not safe, Ally! They could be anyone!"

"Austin, I lived with a criminal for eight weeks, I think I could handle a few party animals." Ally said, snidely. Austin looked at her and didn't reply. It was like nothing he said could make her see what he did.

"You're not leaving this apartment." Austin stated firmly.

Annoyed and fuming, Ally growled, "I will and I am." She jumped up from the floor and started her way towards the door. Austin was up in a flash, ignoring his head rush. He grabbed her arm.

"You're not leaving," he hissed.

"You're not my Dad, you can't tell me what I can and can't do and expect me to listen!" Ally spat at him, trying to feel taller than him despite being _way _shorter physically.

"Yeah? Well, I am telling you what to do and right now, I'm telling you that you're not allowed to leave." Austin replied.

Ally scoffed, "I'm not _allowed _to leave? Who the hell am I? Rapunzel!?"

"Don't be smart with me!" Austin snapped, anger surging through his veins. Ally rolled her eyes, turning to leave. She tried to yank her arm out of his grasp, but it was too firm.

"Austin, let go," Ally demanded, angrily.

"No." Austin said, defiantly, a smirk bending on his beat-up lips. Ally tried to pull herself out of his grip, but even with a concussion, Austin was stronger than her. She pressed her lips together in a thin line and kept trying.

"Austin, I'm leaving! You can't force me to stay here! I could sue your ass!"

"Oh, yeah? With what money?" Austin retorted.

"I could frame you with robbery, assault, bribery, kidnapping, conning!" Ally growled.

"I'd frame you right back, because I remember you being right there with me." Austin scowled.

"I don't recall." Ally barked.

Austin stared at her, "If I let you go, you're just going to wander back to that damn club and get yourself hurt, maybe even killed, or worse."

"What's worse than dying, dumbass?" Ally shot back.

"Not dying." Austin answered. Ally looked at him. "You know, being left at the club after some jackass assaults you, or even _rapes you_. Maybe somebody steals your money, or decides they want to start a fight with you. You could just lay there on a bed, on a floor, on the couch, on the ground outside, and you'll beg for death. You'll be so fucked up after that you won't even be able to see straight and you'll have nobody to blame but yourself."

It was a simple scare tactic, Ally wasn't stupid. "I am leaving." she said again, chopping the words so they were separate on emphasis.

Angrily, Austin released her arm to grip her shoulders. He shoved her back against the wall, his hands on both sides of her, locking her between himself and the wall. "No, you're fucking not." he argued, his teeth clenched.

Ally looked up at his eyes. They held a fire in them so hot that Ally was sure if she told him one more time that she was leaving, his skin would start dripping lava. She didn't even try to argue this time but it really pissed her off that he had the last word.

Just as she thinks his face is getting closer to hers, she spat, "Get the fuck off me."

His eye brows knit together further, "No." His bottom lip curled out with anger and defiance. Then he suddenly smirked, "You wrecked the moment. I was going to kiss you."

His words fanned on her face in warm breaths. She felt something inside of her flutter. It might've been her heart but she wasn't sure. "Were you?" she replies, her voice soft but her eyes challenging.

"Mhm," Austin hums in reply, his smirk a little wider. He didn't even flinch when all of his smirking made his split lip sting.

"That's very interesting." Ally replied. Her hand finds the collar of his shirt and brings his face closer. She feels his chuckle on her lips before she molds them with his. The kiss is heated, passionate maybe? Ally has no idea when she grew a backbone as strong as this one.

One of Austin's hands slide off the wall to caress her cheek. Ally tightens her grip on the collar of his shirt. After a couple more quick pounds of her heart, she pushes his lips off of hers. He frowns at her, not liking the gap between their faces.

"That was intense," Ally smirked, her tone playful.

"I wasn't done." Austin said, gruffly.

"I didn't think so, but you're bleeding." Ally said. Austin quickly reached up and swiped at his chin where blood had leaked from his lip. As he was distracted, Ally slipped away from the wall and gripped the door knob.

"Get back here!" Austin growled, yanking her away from the door knob. The force caused Ally to twist into Austin's chest. He smirked again, "Better."

Ally rolled her eyes and tried to distance herself from him, but Austin's arm around her waist held her firmly to his chest. "This is ridiculous, you can't force me to stay here."

"You don't want to go." Austin said, "You like it here. You didn't want to leave."

Ally was mute for a moment. She looked him in the eye and blurted, "You kicked me out because you didn't like having sex with me. You're a whore. A manwhore."

Austin frowned, "What?" he asked, "No...No, Ally, that's not...That's not why I kicked you out." he shook his head, in disbelief that she would think something like that of me.

"Then why did you?" Ally asked him.

"Doesn't matter," Austin said.

"Yes, it does." Ally argued.

"No. What matters is that I want you to stay again. I want to con and rob with you again." Austin said, "And you're going to. You're not going to a club unless it's with me." he finalized.

Ally caught herself smirking and didn't bother to wipe it from her face. She reached her hands up around his neck, the effort causing her to go onto her tip-toes as she laced her lips with his, ignoring the coppery taste of blood coming from his mouth to hers.

Austin gripped her tighter, moving his mouth against hers. He pinned her against the wall again, his fingers ran up beneath her shirt - or his shirt, to be technical. He smirked on her mouth. He liked this. Ally's heart thrummed hard, so hard that it knocked her breath out.

But it wasn't a thrum caused by Austin.

She had to rip her mouth away from his lips. She nearly stumbled over and probably would have if Austin's arms weren't around her. He frowned, "What's wrong?" he murmured. Her face was oddly paler and she looked at him with this look in her eyes that he couldn't fit into words. He didn't know what her eyes were saying, but she had lost a glint in them.

"Nothing," she whispered, shaking her head. The pain that sprinkled through her chest was gone, the thrum was over, her breath was back.

"No...No, it wasn't." Austin said, the back of his index finger running down her cheekbone to her jaw. "What was that?"

"You just make my beat like an 808 drum," she smirked. He looked at her oddly. The smirk on her widened, "KeSha was playing in the club last night, when Tank was turning you into a puddle of nothing."

"You're hilarious." he grumbled, then slapped his lips to hers again. He still wanted to know what had happened a few moments ago, but as the kiss went on, he forgot all about it. Ally didn't. Ally was starting to notice it more. The random flutters of pain in her chest. They only seemed to hurt a lot more when her heart was pounding. Austin made her heart pound a lot and she wondered if he was going to be a problem. She didn't care.

Austin wanted to take her again, right there but Ally pulled away, "You need to rest, Austin. You have a concussion and you don't want to over exert yourself."

"I don't mind," he sounded drunk but it was probably just her kiss.

Ally laughed slightly, turning her head so his lips hit her ear. He frowned and pulled away. "You have to lay down." It took more convincing than that and then she had him curling onto the couch to rest. She never asked them what was going on between them because she didn't want to freak him out with questions.

They weren't friends anymore, but they also weren't together. They were like kissing buddies, sex buddies, con buddies. It was sick, it was mortifying, it was disgusting.

Ally liked it.

**.**


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